Cheer up, Mr Kaiba!
by Step Of Death
Summary: When Mokuba decides to cheer his brother up due to a stressful day, he asks Serenity for help. That, however turns out to be even more stressful for the elusive CEO...[KaibaxSerenity]. I have adopted this story! Please read the first chapter's description for more info.
1. Regretted Decision

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 **Hello everyone. Before you read this story, there are a few things you should know about it:**

 **-This story's original writer is the user Alena S. Anigor (link to his/her profile at the end of this chapter.) The reason I am uploading this story is simple: I am 'adopting' it, as it's author decided to discontinue it.** **As a fan of it myself, I really thought it'd be a waste to simply delete it, so as of today, I will reupload all of it's chapters and, eventually, write my own chapters to complete it. I don't know if I'll be able to make the story as good as it's original author did, but I'll do my best.**

 **-I'll upload a chapter a week, so that you guys can enjoy it better.**

 **-The story stopped at 25 chapters, so from 26 and on, they'll be my own.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu-gi-oh!**

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Cheer up, Mr. Kaiba!

-By Alena S. Anigor-

Chapter I : Regretted decision

The tall, large building in the center of Domino City was crowded with people; most of them being the employees of the famous Kaiba Corporation. The spacious hall that welcomed everyone who entered the building was full of voices and murmurs, and it was practically swarmed with men in business suits and briefcases and with women with folders in their hands. They all seemed like identical twins, due to the fact that they all had the same haircut and the same outfits.

It looked like someone just entered a busy ant hole, but the traffic inside seemed to stop for a moment when one man entered that same hall. Silence followed in which everyone stopped frozen in the middle of their tasks to stand up straight and, as odd as it seemed, shudder with fright.

Mokuba was already used to that kind of everyday morning greetings, every time his brother entered the Kaiba Corp. The older Kaiba sibling strolled calmly down the hall, not sparing a glance at anyone who stood stiffly around him. Murmurs of 'Good morning, Mr. Kaiba' didn't seem to catch his interest as he proceeded towards a huge, modernly equipped elevator with the logo of Kaiba Corporation.

Mokuba skipped happily behind him, occasionally greeting the people around him who showed an equal amount of respect towards him as well. Sometimes, he wondered if those people around him ever had a minute to themselves but he wasn't too concerned with his brother's business; whatever he said or decided was considered as a good decision.

When the doors of the elevator closed, and the whizzing sound of the machine filled the smaller space around him Mokuba looked at his brother to see his expression change.

The CEO lowered his head, closing his eyes in exasperation and sighed. Holding a briefcase in his left hand, he touched the bridge of his nose with his other one, clutching it slightly. He rubbed his forehead the next moment, as if trying to iron the wrinkles of exhaustion and tiredness that were hidden behind his bangs. He let out a silent growl, barely audible as a slight vibration in his throat.

Mokuba was observing his brother for a while with an almost amused expression on his face. He actually liked to see his brother like that it proved that he was just a human, like everyone else, as much as some considered him to be a cold, ruthless machine. Mokuba knew better. He knew him longer and ten times better than anyone else did and he liked moments like those; when he could look at his brother and see his other side, the one made of flesh and blood.

"You're tired," he said after a long silence. The elevator was still rising, the office being on the top floor. Kaiba looked down at him for a second then grunted silently. "You should get some rest."

"I'm fine, Mokuba," came the stoic reply of the CEO, "nothing I can't handle."

Mokuba's eyes saddened for a moment, but he smiled soon after that. He understood. His business and his company was everything to him and he admired him for managing to lead such a great corporation. He even idolized him in a way; wanting to become strong and resourceful like him some day...that didn't mean he would like to lead such a huge corporation some day; he was still in the process of growing up and he hadn't thought about his future seriously yet. For now, being with his brother and helping him was enough for him.

The elevator started slowing down until it finally stopped with a slight tremor and the computer voice announced they reached the top floor. The metallic doors opened, revealing an enormous office. It wasn't furnished with many things; the bottom of the office was occupied by a large desk and a leather chair, waiting patiently in front of the giant window and enabling everyone to see the heart of the Domino City. To the right, on the wall was a sizeable flat screen; a sofa placed in front of it.

Before Mokuba could even sit on the sofa and turn on the screen, Kaiba was already behind his desk, turning his laptop on.

He sat down brusquely, the sound of leather shifting filling the spacious office. Mokuba disappeared behind the sofa, letting himself sink into the soft fabric as he snatched the remote. Just when he was about to turn the screen on, there was a knock on the door and Kaiba groaned in irritation, rubbing the bridge of his nose again before allowing one of the women to enter. She greeted him shortly in a usual business tone, carrying a stack of folders in her hands.

"These are the ones sent to us by Mr. Schmidt," she informed flatly, standing stiffly in front of the desk. Kaiba frowned and took one of the folders from the large pile of them.

"You are dismissed." He told the woman who nodded quickly after that and stalked out of the office, closing the doors behind her. Mokuba finally found some privacy to push the 'on' button on the remote when he heard his brother cursing silently under his breath. He turned around to see what happened and saw him flipping the papers through the folder madly, eyes narrowed and glistening with anger and frustration. He raised his eyebrows questioningly at him.

"Something wrong?" he asked curiously, turning the screen off. Somehow, the desire to watch TV subsided when he saw his brother angry.

Kaiba was still rummaging through the folders, the wrinkles between his eyebrows deepening with every passing paper he read. He was mumbling something incoherent, until he threw the folders away and they landed several inches away from him, some of them falling across the edge of the desk and ending up on the floor in a heap.

Mokuba gawked at him for a good minute before he dared to ask what happened.

"That moron can't get anything right!" Kaiba barked back, his hand flying to his forehead again. He grimaced when he felt a stabbing sensation somewhere beneath and swore secretly for not taking any sleeping pills other than spending the almost entire night typing on his laptop.

Mokuba opened his mouth in confusion, looking to and fro the papers and his frustrated brother.

"Mr. Schmud?" He asked with interest, eyeing the papers with curiosity before hopping off the sofa to pick them up.

"Schmidt," Kaiba corrected him, deep voice full of weariness and irritation, "the one responsible for one of our branches in Germany. The idiot can't handle anything without making a mistake and then asking me for help...I should fire him!" There he stopped for a brief moment to stare at the pile of papers Mokuba handed him before he snatched the phone and called his secretary.

"Get in here." He commanded and the woman, who previously brought the papers, came in again, the expression on her face slightly apprehensive. She obviously didn't like the tone her boss addressed her with.

"Call Schmidt and tell him he's fired. Then call Heinrich and tell him he's got two days to fix the problem otherwise he can start looking for a new job as well!"

The secretary blinked and nodded slowly, a look of sheer shock crossing her features for a second. Then, without hesitation, walked out quickly, not wanting to risk her own resource of payment. The doors closed again, leaving utmost silence in the office. The only sound was coming from the bustling streets of Domino City below. Mokuba stared at his brother for a while, noticing for the first time that day dark circles under his eyes and the way his hair seemed slightly tousled, compared to his usual well combed mane.

Kaiba started to pick up the remaining papers from his desk, glaring at them menacingly. Mokuba had a feeling that he'd rather curl them up in a ball and toss them outside the window or rip them in pieces and let them crumble in front of him. When he continued to glare at them and Mokuba had a sudden feeling he might even do that, he decided to switch the subject to try and avert him from destroying them.

"So...what are you up to next?" He asked him, a tad too enthusiastically and Kaiba diverted his eyes from the papers to look at him. Mokuba was smiling sweetly, making his brother arch an eyebrow quizzically. After he gave up on the idea to light the papers and watch them burn, he tossed them indifferently to the side and sighed heavily.

Mokuba's smile vanished from his face, replaced by a look of sadness. He knew oh too well that the company was his brother's life and that they all lived from it, but in his opinion Seto was seriously neglecting his own life, and Mokuba suddenly became aware of the fact that his brother indeed needed some relaxation. He wanted to suggest that to him when the phone rang and Kaiba groaned again, picking the phone with such vigor, Mokuba thought he'd break it.

"What?" He spat out and growled a second later when he heard who was on the other line.

"Yes, you heard me right...No, I don't intend to do that...I don't care...You're wasting my time!"

Mokuba gaped at him and at the phone handle, noticing how his knuckles became white from applying the pressure. Kaiba was seething angrily and after he's had enough, finally snapped.

"I TOLD YOU ALREADY YOU'RE FIRED! DEAL WITH IT!"

The phone was crushed back to its place. Mokuba winced. Kaiba was growling like a rabid dog.

"Uhm...Seto?" Mokuba asked meekly, inching away slightly from the desk. Kaiba was breathing heavily, his teeth gritted and his eyes blazing with fury.

"I...I think I'll go now...I have...um...homework to write...yeah! So bye!"

With that, the younger Kaiba dashed out of the large office, leaving a fuming CEO behind. When the doors closed and Mokuba was out of potential danger, he sighed in relief. The secretary who was sitting as her desk outside the office paled, looking at the younger Kaiba with fright.

"Is Mr. Kaiba..."

Mokuba waved his hand swiftly in the air.

"No," he breathed quickly, "trust me you don't want to go in there."

The woman nodded understandingly and prayed deep inside for Kaiba to restrain himself from using the phone in his current state.

Kaiba, who was still in a raging mode, slowly rested his hands on the desk, lowering his head on them slowly.

"Crap." He muttered.

Mokuba was walking aimlessly down the streets, hoping his brother has managed to cool off a bit. He wanted to call him a few times already, but was afraid that the phone in Kaiba's office would end up on the concrete many floors below.

His shoulders sagged when he remembered his idea about offering his brother to take some time off and go on a vacation...now, when he thought about it, the very idea seemed ridiculous to him as well. Seto on a vacation...perhaps, but with a laptop in his lap and a mobile phone attached to his ear. Either way, his brother was starting to go over the top, and Mokuba feared he'd loose his sanity in the end.

"Yeah," he muttered, "he would end up in some mental institution probably..." An image of Kaiba popped in his head, standing in a cell with a straightjacket and screaming at everyone they're fired. Mokuba shuddered at the thought and quickly dismissed the image away from his mind. He was about to turn around the corner when he almost smacked into someone. He yelped, and backing away, tripped. The world around him started to turn upside down and when he expected to fall flat on his bottom, someone stopped him and pulled him up again.

He swayed a bit in front of the person who saved him until he raised his head to see a younger girl with long brown hair and hazel eyes looking at him worriedly.

"Oh, are you all right?" she asked him politely and Mokuba opened his mouth to say he was okay when the girl started to seem familiar to him...very familiar...

"You're Serenity!" He yelled with recognition and the girl in front of him gaped at him. "Serenity Wheeler Joey's sister!"

Serenity was still staring at him in puzzlement, trying to remember the boy who obviously knew her very well...and her brother as well. She lowered her head a bit to look more closely at him. Mokuba smiled at her inability to recognize him.

"Hmm..." she mumbled, observing the boy with eyes narrowed in confusion. Dark, messy hair, violet bright eyes...energetic voice and a cheerful expression...a sudden image of Battle City tournament came to her mind and she gasped, straightening herself to look at him with acknowledgment now.

"Mokuba? You're Mokuba, right?" she asked him, looking at him in wonder.

Mokuba nodded, glad that she managed to remember. Although his brother was never too fond of Yuugi and let alone Joey, he liked to consider them as friends and the girl he met on that faithful tournament became his friend as well.

"Yup, that's me!" He chimed and scratched his head, blushing slightly. Serenity smiled now back, still a bit surprised to see him. As far as she knew, Kaiba brothers were always considered to be something close to a celebrity, and she thought it was strange for one of them to even speak to her like that.

"So, what are you up to?" She asked him and he shrugged.

"Don't know, really...running away from Seto maybe?" he replied sheepishly and Serenity looked at him oddly.

"You're running away from your brother? Why, is he mean to you?" came her question and Mokuba shook his head immediately.

"No, no, no, he's just...well...busy, you know and when he's busy then he's...grumpy."

The explanation seemed to satisfy the younger Wheeler and she smiled and nodded. Since she seemed as if she had nothing to do as well, and he himself was bored to death, he decided to spend his time with one of his friends. After all, Serenity seemed nice and sweet enough to hang out with.

"You have time?" he asked her and she nodded again, watching him curiously. "Then...wanna go for a drink? My treat!"

Serenity was surprised for a moment, wondering briefly why would a Kaiba ask such a thing, but after a moment of hesitation decided to join the young boy. She had nothing better to do anyway.

"Sure." She agreed and Mokuba smiled happily, glad he had at least someone to spend his time with. Writing homework didn't surely seem as much fun; not that he couldn't write it in a minute, but talking to a friend somehow seemed much more interesting than geometry.

They were sitting in front of the caf on the main square of the Domino City, drinking juice and laughing about funny things that happened to them at school. Mokuba was laughing every moment Serenity told him about numerous gaffes her brother made while they were kids and still together, while Serenity cracked laughing hearing a story about how he once got stuck with his brother in an elevator.

Time passed quickly and Mokuba almost wheezed when he looked at his watch and saw what time it was. He realized that the time spent with Serenity passed quickly, and felt oddly happy for meeting her and spending the morning with her. For some odd reason, her smile and warmth managed to breeze his bad mood away like a fresh breath of wind. He presumed she had that kind of effect on people that managed to make them feel better and happy and...

"That's it!" He suddenly burst out, making Serenity jump slightly in her seat and other people around him to stare at him. Serenity opened her mouth to ask him what happened when he interrupted her hastily.

"Could you do me a favor?" He asked her, eagerness evident in his wide, violet orbs. Serenity was taken aback slightly with his question.

"What is it about?" she asked, still puzzled. Mokuba halted slightly before answering.

"It's about my brother, you know, Seto...I was wondering if you could help me cheer him up? He's been acting all grumpy and grouchy lately..."

Serenity was looking at him blankly for a moment before an image of older Kaiba came to her mind. She could remember him without a difficulty: tall, slender, with keen eyes and mysterious, closed up personality. She thought he was kind of cute but seeing him, being so cold made her shiver inwardly. But, then again she never had a chance to meet him better...She was biting her lip, looking at the table and her empty glass then raised her head to look at the completely different person and wondered briefly how they could be related in the first place.

Mokuba had a buoyant look in his eyes, a look so full of hope and expectations that she had to give in.

"He's spending too much time in his office, huh?" she asked him finally and his face saddened briefly before he nodded.

"Yeah, he does...that's why I need you to try and make him see that there are other things in life besides laptops and papers and...stuff." There he stopped, his face now completely shadowed with dejection and sadness. Serenity, being a sap when it came to older brothers, decided to help.

"Okay," she said, making him snap out of his stupor, "I promise I'll do everything to make your brother cheer up!" she added and Mokuba's face lit up instantly.

"Really?" he asked, that hope shining now in his eyes. Serenity nodded, smiling warmly at him and Mokuba beamed at her.

"Thanks!" He exclaimed and before she could say anything else, grabbed her by the hand and yanked her away from the table. He practically threw the money to a bypassing waiter as Serenity yelped, being maneuvered around the tables hastily.

"Mokuba!" she screeched, "What is goi-"

"Come on, Serenity!" He cut in and started to run down the street, fishing his cell phone out of his pocket again for, what he thought a very good use a ride back to the Kaiba Corporation.

Seto Kaiba was just in the middle of firing some poor soul when he heard a noise coming from outside the office. When he was about to call his secretary to ask her what the hell was going on, Mokuba stormed into the room, dragging someone behind him.

Kaiba stood up, looking strangely at his younger brother then at a girl who seemed familiar to him. He hung up the phone and then looked expectantly at Mokuba.

"I though you were writing your homework," he half scolded him on which Mokuba smiled sheepishly.

"I already did that," he lied, glancing at a very exasperated Serenity who was still clutching her shirt and trying to get some air.

"What is this, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked him, irritated and on the verge of firing the secretary as well who was peeking from behind her desk and through the open doors.

"Don't you recognize her?" his brother asked, grinning at him. Kaiba reverted his glare from his brother to the girl standing in the middle of his office. He narrowed his eyes, already knowing that he had seen her somewhere before.

"It's Serenity, Seto!" Mokuba stretched his hands forward.

"Serenity?" Kaiba repeated, now glaring at her almost absentmindedly, his brain processing the gathered information.

Serenity almost regretted the decision of coming here when she saw how scrutinizing his glare was. She smiled nervously, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Uhm, hi," She greeted him silently, her voice echoing slightly through the large room. Kaiba was still trying to remember where he had seen her before when it finally clicked to him...the girl who was begging him to stop the plane and go back so they could drive some idiot named Bakura to hospital. Serenity...Serenity...Wheeler.

Kaiba's eyes widened slightly when he realized who had Mokuba brought with him. Without a moment of thinking, he growled and glared at Mokuba furiously.

"What is a Wheeler doing in my office?"

Mokuba winced slightly and Serenity gulped. She just realized two things:

First the boy was very intimidating and second she definitely regretted her decision now...

TBC


	2. Family Ties

**A/N: Hello everyone. Chapter 2 is up. I figured a chapter a week could take an awful lot of time to be fully updated, so I'll try to quicken the pace. Next chapter should be up soon.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu-gi-oh!**

* * *

Cheer up, Mr. Kaiba!

-By Alena S. Anigor-

Chapter II: Family ties

The office on the top floor of Kaiba Corporation was oddly silent. The only occupants were a pretty petrified and frozen girl, a very pissed off CEO of Kaiba Corporation and his brother who had a baffled look on his face now. The secretary was still peeping inside the office from her posture behind the desk until Kaiba growled angrily and went to the doors himself to shut them furiously with a loud banging sound. Serenity winced again and closed her eyes for a second.

Mokuba's mouth was slightly agape; he was taken aback slightly with his brother's reaction to the girl standing next to him. He watched his brother stomp angrily back to his desk until he stood behind it, with his hands on the edges of his desk firmly and sat down, making the leather chair squeak under the sudden pressure.

"Well?" He finally asked, glancing first at Serenity who blushed furiously and felt incredibly stupid and uncomfortable then at the younger Kaiba who gaped at him.

"What?" Mokuba replied in confusion after the initial shock subsided. Kaiba was glaring at his brother silently, his stare almost piercing through him like a razor. Mokuba raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, letting his shoulders lift upwards and stretching his arms in the air innocently.

Kaiba switched his glare to Serenity again and this time, she opened her mouth to speak and apologize for any kind of inconvenience when she stopped suddenly, the words stuck in her throat. She had never seen such a look in someone's eyes; penetrating and scrutinizing, she felt as if he was trying to see through her, her houghts and emotions with those keen, icy eyes.

"Uhm, Seto?" Mokuba's voice made him avert his glare from the sister of, in his opinion, the most obnoxious being in the whole universe. When he rested his eyes on his brother, Mokuba lowered his gaze to the floor, suddenly finding his sneakers very interesting to watch.

Kaiba breathed in deeply then exhaled slowly, crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt to calm himself. He glanced once more at Serenity who was staring blankly at him, at a loss of words.

"I'm listening, Mokuba," he said in a deep voice, giving them an impression as if he had difficulties with voicing those words aloud.

Mokuba raised his head again to look at him and grimaced when he saw that his brother indeed wasn't thrilled with him bringing Serenity with him. He started fidgeting slightly, casting nervous glances at Serenity who was equally aghast of what to do.

"Well, you see, I, uh..." he mumbled out, looking at the white ceiling now, making circles on the marble floor with his shoe. He smiled sheepishly, putting his hand behind his head, scratching it in discomfort. "Please, don't be mad at me, I just thought that...you might need, uh...you know..."

He was babbling, and it became clear to Serenity that he was at loss of words just as she was. But, seeing him, being so lost and almost helpless made her smile slightly, reminding her of herself when she was just as lost and clueless of what to do when her mother and father divorced. She looked at Kaiba sternly, gathering all her courage she could muster and coughed slightly to gain his attention.

"Uhm, Mr. Kaiba," she spoke softly and almost shuddered involuntarily when he fixated his demanding glare on her now, "what Mokuba wanted to say was that he thought you were working in your office too much and that you needed some time to yourself. That's why he asked me to..." there she stopped, not knowing exactly how to say it to him, "to...well try and cheer you up." She smiled uneasily when he quirked an eyebrow at her with an almost deadpanned expression. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Silence followed again, in which the CEO was looking at the younger Wheeler as if she just swallowed a cactus. When Mokuba wanted to wave his hand in front of his face to see if he hadn't dozed off, Kaiba let out a chuckle which turned into a mocking laughter that made both of them stare at him incredulously now. Serenity exchanged an awkward glance with Mokuba who shrugged, looking at his brother blankly.

"Seto, err..." Mokuba started when his brother stopped him with a motion of his hand. Mokuba stopped in a mid – word, waiting patiently for him to say what he intended. He stopped laughing and closed his eyes for a second then looked at Mokuba seriously again.

"First of all – I don't need anyone to try and" he looked at Serenity grimly "cheer me up. Second of all – I am perfectly fine and I don't need you to worry about me," he continued, looking at Mokuba now who opened his mouth to object. "And third – I certainly don't need help of any kind from a Wheeler, no matter what he offers me, although I doubt one would even have something to offer me that would be worthy of my attention." He added, glaring at Serenity whose eyes saddened slightly, and she was watching him with a half – hurt, half – confused expression. "Now leave. I have work to do."

Silence filled the office again. Mokuba glanced at Serenity who had her head lowered, her brownish bangs slightly covering and shading her eyes. Mokuba's shoulders sagged when he realized that it was his mistake to bring her here and make her go through his brother's verbal assault. He actually hoped Seto would agree to his idea of spending a few hours out of the office but now he also realized that wouldn't happen so soon. His eyes saddened as well and he lowered his head in shame when Serenity looked at him apologetically and smiled.

She felt like someone just slapped her; she didn't really know why Kaiba hated her brother so – Joey was the greatest big brother any sister could wish for in this world and she wondered briefly how could Mokuba think of his brother in the same manner.

When she felt his sharp eyes on her again, she almost flinched. She clasped her hands in front of her, bowing in front of him, letting her hair fall slightly over her shoulders.

"I'm sorry." She apologized softly and smiling once more at Mokuba, headed towards the doors. She closed them softly behind her and let out a sigh of relief when she was finally out of that office and away from his ardent glare.

The secretary observed her curiously and she smiled at her before running towards the elevator, wanting nothing more than getting out of the building as soon as possible.

Mokuba felt guilty. Which he couldn't say for his brother who was once again, flipping through his papers and typing on his laptop like nothing happened. When he looked at Mokuba, he turned his head away and glared at the large flat screen instead.

"You shouldn't have done that, Seto," he whispered enough audibly for his to hear. Kaiba glanced at him stoically then went back to his typing.

"You shouldn't have brought her here, Mokuba," he replied calmly, resuming his research through the papers and folders on his desk, "you know very well what I think about her brother and that idea of yours was not-"

"I just wanted to help you!" The sudden outburst from Mokuba made him stop with rummaging through the papers and look at him. Mokuba was angry...and it was the first time he was angry with him. Kaiba stared blankly at him, slightly taken aback with the sudden change in behavior in the boy in front of him.

Mokuba's eyes started to fill with angry tears and Kaiba's lips parted slightly.

"Don't you see? Don't you see what you're doing to yourself? You don't even care for me anymore!"

"That's not true, Mokuba and you know it!" Kaiba yelled back, now completely focused on his brother who was on the verge of crying. Mokuba's fists were clenched, his eyes narrowed sharply at him, full of anger, pain and something Kaiba couldn't define.

But Mokuba was able to feel it. He felt abandoned and lost. He felt like on that same day, standing in front of the orphanage, feeling lost and afraid. But then, he at least had his brother with him...now, he felt as if his brother was left in there – in that same time and space and the one who was standing in front of him was just a shell of a boy he used to be.

When Kaiba wanted to suggest to him to stay there and calm down, Mokuba wiped away the tears angrily from his face and turned his back to him.

"I'm going home, Seto." He said coldly, making Kaiba frown.

"Why don't you stay here?" He asked him, eyeing his laptop from the corner of his eye that was currently showing the results of the latest market research. Mokuba sniffled once and then started walking towards the doors.

"I don't want to." He replied in that same, leveled tone that resembled Kaiba's in a way. The older Kaiba sibling sighed inwardly, closing his eyes in an attempt to control himself. His face revealed irritation and annoyance just barely, which he tried to hide. Instead, he tried to understand what happened to his brother.

"What do you want then?" He asked calmly, looking at his retrieving back. When Mokuba was already at the doors, holding the silver handle, he turned around to look at him. The look he gave him made Kaiba frown again in confusion and he paused, uncertain of what to do next. What came next from Mokuba, however, made him stare at him in wonder.

"I just want my brother back."

The doors closed, leaving one confused and frozen young man behind.

When Serenity came home from her last encounter with the CEO of Kaiba Corporation, she felt drained and completely confused. She had heard stories about the mysterious, cold – blooded Seto Kaiba, but she never believed they could be true. As far as she knew, no one was without a heart; everyone possessed at least that one bit of hope and love in their hearts that needed to be unleashed and revealed, but Seto Kaiba...was a totally different story.

Not only was he cold, ruthless and distant, he wasn't even paying attention to his own brother. And Mokuba was such a nice and caring boy. She just couldn't understand how come was Mokuba so polite and cheerful and his brother was a total opposite.

She even thought Joey was just exaggerating when he called Kaiba once a heartless, emotionless jerk, and she relied more on Yuugi's story in which he described Kaiba as a fair duelist, protective of his brother. But what she saw today, managed to change the whole perspective she had about the elusive CEO.

He was completely ignoring Mokuba! And she wondered how come was the boy tolerating that...if Joey was acting like that – she would feel crushed and crestfallen...and Mokuba was still so happy and full of energy...

And on top of it all – she had made a promise...

Serenity moaned and lay down on her bed. She skipped dinner after she lost her appetite thinking about the Kaiba brothers on the way home. Her mother looked at her awkwardly when she said she wasn't that hungry.

She was staring at the ceiling of her room absentmindedly, thinking about the whole incident at the Kaiba Corporation...

"I made a promise," she whispered idly, an image of Mokuba's eager and hopeful expression coming to her mind. Yes, she had made a promise, and promises are not to be broken...at least not in her own humble opinion. She wanted to help the younger boy so badly, but what was she to do now? His brother practically ordered her to get out from his office and she doubted she'd ever even like to set a foot into that building again.

She turned over and hugged her teddy bear...as much as Mokuba and Yuugi spoke well of the older Kaiba sibling, she couldn't help but feel that her brother was right...what if she could really do nothing to help Mokuba? What if there was really no good in Seto Kaiba's heart?

She sighed heavily, remembering the promise she made again. Closing her eyes, she tried to fall asleep, but to no avail. The image of icy, blue eyes and cold expression of Seto Kaiba wouldn't allow her to fall asleep so easily.

She groaned, hugging her teddy bear closer to her chest.

"Serenity," she whispered dejectedly, "what have you gotten yourself into?"

* * *

 **A/N: There we have it. Poor Serenity... I really felt like punching Kaiba here, lol. See you soon!**


	3. Tricked

**A/N: Screw it, I'll upload a few chapters today. Even I'd be bored to wait a week for an update. I'm already working on my own chapters, so by the time all the chapters are uploaded, you'll see some new content here. Look forward to it!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu-gi-oh!**

* * *

Cheer up, Mr. Kaiba!

-By Alena S. Anigor-

Chapter III: Tricked

When a black limo stopped in front of the giant mansion, it was already dark and when Kaiba glanced at his watch, it was past eleven. He got out, stepping firmly on the ground, holding his silver metallic briefcase in one hand. Not sparing a glance at his driver, he headed towards the front doors, his blue trench coat billowing slightly behind him as he walked. The driver drove the limo away, already knowing where he should park it.

Kaiba opened the doors, a giant lobby welcoming him back, furnished with marble floor, and one very expensive looking, crystal chandelier illuminating the spacious hall. The house seemed empty and cold, but then again, he didn't need anyone besides a few maids and a chef cook. Other things he could do by himself, anyway.

He headed towards the study room, opening the wooden doors and stepping inside. Light was already on, one wooden desk greeting him in the middle of the room. Behind it, there was a shelf, loaded with various book about technology and business management. They were all lined up alphabetically, although nowadays he barely had the time to read any of them.

He put the briefcase on the desk, opening it and retrieving out the papers and the remains of what he still had to finish and sort out. He hoped Heinrich did his job well and expected a full report about the, hopefully, fixed problem.

The laptop on the desk was immediately turned on, a faint glow radiating from it and illuminating his face. Blue eyes were hard and concentrated, although the lack of sleep was still evident on his face. There was a knock on the door and he raised his head for a moment to see one of the maids entering and carrying a platter. She bowed respectfully and lowered the platter onto his desk. Kaiba glanced at the plate filled with a strange substance in it, but when he was about to ask what the heck that was, the maid was already outside, sighing in relief. As much as the young CEO paid her well, he was simply giving her the creeps every time she looked at him and his cold demeanor. She was thankful Mokuba was still in the mansion to keep it alive and preserve a somewhat warm atmosphere in it.

Kaiba raised one eyebrow in suspicion, almost glaring at the thing that was supposed to be called a soup. He wasn't even feeling hungry. He reverted his concentration back to the laptop screen instead, typing quickly over the keyboard. Results, charts, percents and various designs were showing and disappearing again on the screen, until he finally decided which one to choose. A few ideas concerning a new duel disk system have been occupying his mind lately, and he was eager to make those simple designs and blueprints a reality. He smirked, satisfied with himself and his newest creation.

A holographic image of Blue eyes White dragon spiraled on his screen, as he was toying with numerous variations and possibilities. When his vision started to get a tad blurry, he frowned, thinking already that something was wrong with the laptop screen. When he let out a yawn a few seconds later and caught himself doing that, he blinked in confusion and then looked at the hanging clock on the wall. It was twenty minutes to midnight.

He frowned again, deciding to ignore a sudden urge to let his eyes close and leave his body to rest. Something that could bring the Kaiba Corporation even more profit was more important now than sleep. He ran his fingers through his bangs softly, trying to clear his mind and keep his eyes open. Glancing at the plate, he reached for the silver spoon and lifted it off the plate, carefully observing the liquid that was shimmering slightly under the light. He hoped the soup could make him stay awake.

Slowly and tentatively, he lifted it until it was an inch away from his mouth. He sniffed a bit, surprised by the fact that the aroma smelled nice. He shoved the spoon into his mouth, closing his eyes. After a few seconds, he swallowed it, and opened his eyes, coming to a conclusion that the salty taste of the soup was delicious and somewhat nerve – soothing. He decided that having a dinner didn't sound like such a bad idea, and took the plate from the platter. He could feel the warmth of the soup making him relax and he leaned back in his chair slightly.

The study room was silent, the only sound being the clang of the spoon against the plate.

Mokuba was bored. Flipping channels on TV became mind – boggling and his eyes were starting to hurt already. He knew his brother was at home; he had heard the limo when it came and he heard the doors opening and his brother's footsteps echoing down the lobby. As he presumed, his brother's first destination was his study, where he usually spent the most of his time.

Mokuba sighed. He was still angry with him...but just a bit. He could never be mad at him for long, and after a while, he would be sorry and he'd realize that his brother was right in the end, as always. Turning the TV off, he hopped down off the soft, beige sofa to go and apologize for leaving the office like that today.

Walking down the corridor that was leading to the study, he was already thinking about the best way to tell him he was sorry, and maybe to try and convince him once again to have some time off...he knew that would be difficult to achieve, and he hated to be reminded about those numerous times someone tried to take over the Kaiba Corporation...First, Pegasus then the Big Five...and then their own stepfather...but he was still convinced that Seto was working too much and needed some time to himself.

Stopping in front of the wooden doors, he noticed they were creaked open, and that the light was still on. After inhaling deeply and shaking his head, he reached with his hand to push the doors open.

"Seto, are you still..."

Silence followed, in which Mokuba stared in front of him with a puzzled, and slightly taken aback expression on his face. He blinked a few times, before a wide smile appeared on his face and his eyes softened. He took a few steps forward, walking on his tiptoes. He silently thanked the maid who brought him the soup, knowing very well that, that particular soup did wonders for those who were tired or wanted to fall asleep. The amount of aromatizing spices was enough to make everyone feel warm and relaxed. When he was smaller, he'd always fall asleep after taking a few spoons of the tasty liquid - which was exactly what happened to his brother now.

Seto Kaiba was hunched over his desk, his hands on the wooden surface and his head propped on them. The laptop was still on and Mokuba tiptoed to shut down the programs and the laptop off. The bluish light disappeared, leaving only the regular light on. When he looked at his brother, he almost chuckled. The expression on his face was so peaceful and oblivious that he had to grin. His mouth was slightly agape and he could hear him breath slowly and deeply in his slumber. Mokuba smiled softly – it reminded him so much of those good old days...

He also noticed the way his bangs and his nose were a bit too close to the plate and he cautiously moved the porcelain plate away from him, just in case. Putting the plate back on the platter, he turned around and shook his brother gently.

Kaiba stirred a bit, but didn't do anything else besides that. An almost sore expression crossed Mokuba's face. He managed to make his brother fall asleep, but how was he supposed to make him go to his own room now if he had no intentions of waking up so soon?

Mokuba grimaced and stretched his hands in the air helplessly. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was almost midnight and he had to go to school tomorrow! Groaning silently, he shook him again, this time a bit harder. Kaiba stirred again and growled slightly. Mokuba smirked.

"Seto, wake up," he whispered to his ear and Kaiba growled again and turned his head away. Now it was Mokuba's turn to growl under his breath.

"Seto, come on," he insisted, raising his voice a bit and shaking him again. Kaiba stirred and opened his eyes. He looked at Mokuba with slightly glazed eyes and then looked around the room wearily. Mokuba sighed in relief.

"Thank God! I already thought you'd never wake up! Come on, get up!" he pulled at his sleeve and started dragging him up into a sitting position. Kaiba mumbled something incoherent and glared at the wall in front of him. He was dreaming so nicely – finally beating Yuugi in a duel and then someone woke him up and destroyed his moment of maniacal cackling over the tear – stricken Yuugi.

"Mokuba?" he asked lazily when he saw a mop of familiar, dark hair. His brother was trying to pull him up and off the chair, and they almost both ended up on the floor when Kaiba swayed one moment to the left. He felt so drained and wanted nothing more than to close his eyes again and dream about his victory over his archenemy.

"Yeah, it's me," Mokuba chimed under his brother's trench coat, trying to support his weight and trying not to fall under it as well. As much as his brother seemed skinny and almost anorexic, he sure was heavy enough to support. "Now come on, we're going to your room so you can sleep there."

"Uh – huh..." he replied absentmindedly, his eyelids dropping again. Mokuba almost tripped once and landed on the carpet if there wasn't for the armchair in the bottom of the room.

"Geez, Seto, have you finished the whole soup or what?" Mokuba growled, turning barely enough to take one more glance at the empty plate. "Oh, so you have...oh, man..."

Stumbling a few times, they finally managed to get out of the study and towards the carpeted stairs. Mokuba was already on the verge of collapsing to the floor when he let out a growl, noticing the stairs ahead. He thanked God on the fact that Seto's room was on the first floor and not higher. Taking a cautious step, Mokuba stood on the first stair, pulling his brother by the sleeve. Kaiba's eyes were half – open and everything was so blurry around him. His body ached for a bed to fall on, and he couldn't wait to flop down onto it and let his eyes close.

"Hey, Seto?" Mokuba asked, somewhere beneath his coat. Kaiba mumbled in return.

"Hn?"

"Could you do something for me?" he continued, a sly look on his face. Kaiba nodded slowly.

"Uh – hn..."

Mokuba grinned wolfishly. "Well, I was wondering if you could do me a favor and meet Serenity tomorrow? You know, just for an hour or so..."

Kaiba stared at the carpet dully, then at the top of the stairs. His mind was clouded in haziness and he could only articulate things like simple 'hmms' and 'uh – huh'. He could hear Mokuba talking, but somehow, it didn't really matter what was he talking about...

"Hnn..."

They were almost at the end of the stairs. The first floor was reached and finally conquered and Mokuba let out a heavy sigh when he finally managed to drag his sleepy brother up the stairs. He smiled wickedly, knowing it wasn't really fair to lure him into that in the state he was currently in, but if he wanted to save his brother's health and sanity – he considered it a duty and a priority. Mokuba shook his head – he actually started thinking like Seto.

Staring at the corridor for a while, with a swaying Kaiba waiting behind, he took him by the hand and started to lead him towards the end of the corridor, where wooden double doors were.

"So, you'll do it?" He asked again, an inquiring look on his face. Kaiba snapped his eyes open for a moment, suddenly feeling slightly lightheaded. Mokuba was starting to feel concerned – already thinking how the maid put too much of the spices in the soup. When Kaiba nodded again and muttered a barely audible 'ehh' Mokuba's smile widened and he smirked devilishly.

"You promise?"

"Uh – huh."

"Great!"

They reached the end of the corridor and Mokuba let go of his brother for a second to open the doors and turn the lights on. Then, he grabbed his brother again and led him in. Not bothering to take his trench coat off, Kaiba plopped down on his bed and was asleep in a second. Mokuba sighed in relief, then smiled, proud of himself. It wasn't quite like the idea he had in his mind, but it was close. Now, he only had to talk to Serenity, arrange a meeting and then keep his distance away from the Kaiba Corporation for the rest of the day.

Mokuba let out a content sigh and turning the lights off, intended to go to his own room to get some well deserved sleep as well.

"Good night, Seto." He whispered, before he closed the doors behind him.

The next day at Kaiba Corporation was on the good way of being proclaimed as a historical moment when Seto Kaiba entered the hall and greeted everyone who greeted him. He still had that high and mighty attitude and an elusive aura around him, but he seemed to be...in a good mood.

Which was scary.

He felt oddly relaxed and calm, satisfied and content in some way, and he wasn't grumpy and edgy like he was the day before...and many days before that day, as well. But the most important thing was – he wasn't feeling tired or exhausted...on the contrary – he was feeling fresh and full of energy.

He left a very confused and puzzled secretary behind when he marched into his office with a satisfied and almost glowing smirk on his face. Turning the laptop on, he started typing vigorously, the plans and his latest idea already spinning on the screen. He added some installments, and improved the old ones, but the smirk never left his face.

Just when he was about to add a new feature to the almost finished duel disk system, the secretary knocked on the door and he told her to come in. The woman entered the office hesitantly, holding a piece of paper in her hands. Kaiba was still busy typing the new codes on the screen but told her to speak non the less.

The secretary arched an eyebrow in puzzlement for a second before she glanced at the paper and announced he had a meeting outside the Kaiba Corporation.

This time, he raised his head and looked at her with a frown.

"What kind of meeting?" He asked, not recalling anything about a meeting today. The secretary looked at her paper again and started reciting.

"Mr. Mokuba Kaiba said I should tell you that you...made a promise before you...ahem, flip out and decide to kill him," she replied in a flat tone, shifting uncomfortably in her spot. Kaiba's frown deepened and he told her to go on, still not remembering anything about any kind of promise.

"Well, he said you promised to leave the office for two hours today to have some time to yourself and he already arranged you a meeting with someone." The secretary replied hastily, the look on her boss' face making her shudder in fright. Kaiba's good mood vanished away like a snow on the warm, summer day. He stared blankly at the secretary who already had an urge to run away from the office.

"A promise? I made a promise?" He muttered, still not comprehending what the deal was until he finally remembered the last night and Mokuba's words. They didn't seem significant last night because he wasn't really paying attention, but now...he remembered everything again. Kaiba growled and resisted an urge to smack his forehead and fire the secretary.

"That little...he's even worse than I am!" He sneered, making the secretary jump slightly. He was growling again, glaring at the piece of paper in the secretary's hands.

"Well, who is it?" He barked and the secretary almost let the paper drop as she fidgeted with it and turned him upside down a few times.

"With uh...Serenity Wheeler."

Dead silence followed in which the secretary was seriously starting to question her own existence, watching the CEO of Kaiba Corporation staring at her blankly. But she knew that was just the calm before the storm...and she was right, when after a few moments, she scampered out of the office, doing everything to avoid the CEO's wrath. A few floors below, other employees froze as well, exchanging nervous glances and wondering if they did something wrong when they heard a blood – chilling scream.

"MOKUBAAAA!"

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 **A/N: I have no idea what to say here. Well, I got drunk this weekend and seemingly teleported. I slept on the floor and woke up in my bed at 5AM, and I have no idea how. None of my friends carried me there, so what the hell happened? I guess we'll never know...**


	4. The Meeting

**A/N: Here's another chaper. Added Seto and Serenity as the characters featured in the story, something that completely slipped my mind for some reason.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! But I do own quite a lot of Yu-Gi-Oh! decks. In fact, I once built a deck from scratch by buying individual cards online. It's kind of a mix of Bakura's and Marik's deck. Pretty good to wreck some noobs.**

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Cheer up, Mr. Kaiba!

-By Alena S. Anigor-

Chapter IV: The meeting

It was a nice sunny day, warm and without a cloud in the sky, but when Mokuba Kaiba answered his cell phone and heard the thundering voice of Seto Kaiba on the other side, he had a sudden feeling the sky has darkened drastically.

A few of his schoolmates turned their heads curiously when they heard someone yelling madly from the near distance. They turned their heads around; expecting to see someone, but when they saw Mokuba walking out of the school building, holding his cell phone a hand - length away, things became clearer.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Echoed on the other line and Mokuba cringed. He thought something like that might happen, but he also thought his brother wouldn't really call him and lash his fury out on him...Big mistake. Mokuba made a mental note to himself to check who's calling first before actually answering the phone.

When the raging voice of Seto Kaiba finally died down and silence followed, Mokuba thought it was finally safe to put the phone back to his ear.

"Mokuba?! Are you listening to me?!"

Mokuba grimaced when the amount of decibels almost pierced and completely damaged his hearing. He made another mental note to himself – never answer your brother's phone call after screwing something up. He swallowed hard and decided to say something, still holding the phone at a safe distance away from his ear.

"Yeah, I heard you," he mumbled, "as well as the rest of the Domino City, probably..."

"Well?! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

Mokuba sighed inwardly and redirected his eyes skyward. What could he say, really? That he thought spending a few hours out of his office would make him feel better...or that he could actually talk him into spending those few hours with the sister of the guy he hated the most in this world and thought he had no brains at all?

And on top of it all – he already called Serenity and told her to meet Kaiba at the main square at 2 o'clock...he couldn't really call her back now and tell her his brother had no intentions to even see her and let alone spend some time with her.

"What were you thinking?! Mokuba?!"

Mokuba sighed out loud this time, waiting for his ride back home at the school entrance. He spotted the black limo approaching and waved happily to the driver.

"I'm here, Seto," he replied despairingly, climbing in the limo to take a seat. He greeted the driver politely, ignoring his brother's yelling on the phone for a moment. When he nestled comfortably in his seat, he put the phone back to his ear to try and at least calm him down.

"Well, then explain me why have you done that?!" Came the screaming question again. Mokuba rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively at the driver who cocked his eyebrows questioningly at him, hearing the noise from the back of the limo.

Mokuba's eyes saddened, the glow in violet orbs disappearing slightly. And there he was, actually thinking how his brother would listen to him and take his advice...and now he would have to call Serenity and tell her not to come because his brother hated everything that had a name Wheeler tagged to it. He sighed dejectedly, lowering his head and letting his bangs shading his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Seto," he said quietly, making his brother sigh in irritation on the other side, "I just...wanted to help you."

Seto Kaiba took a few moments to breathe in some air. All the yelling caused a lack of oxygen in his lungs and he realized that yelling like that wasn't healthy and that he maybe overreacted a bit. Mokuba's solemn voice managed to make him calm down slightly, although he was still mad at him for pulling a stunt like that.

"That's nice, Mokuba but I really don't have the time for things like that and I don't see the point in it," he replied steadily, trying to control his, slightly cracking voice and his breathing. The line was silent for a while, before the tiny, sad voice of Mokuba spoke again.

"You've never even tried, you know."

Kaiba sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose exasperatedly. He glared at the paper the secretary left after practically running out of his office; his eyes glued to the paragraph where it was written Meeting with Serenity Wheeler at 2 pm at the main square. He could sense the sadness and disappointment in his voice, and somehow that made him feel even worse than loosing a duel against Yuugi. He looked at the card - looking pendant around his neck, the one where the picture of young Mokuba was hidden in.

"Mokuba..." He sighed dejectedly, his eyes closed and his brows furrowed in deep thoughts. He could hear a faint sniffle on the other side and he growled mentally for making the most important person in his life cry.

"Why, Seto? Why can't you listen to me...just for once?" Asked the soft, now almost broken voice of the younger Kaiba across the line, "And you promised me...you never break your promises, Seto..."

Kaiba let out a tortured sigh again and leaned back in his chair, the phone cord stretching slightly over the desk.

"You used a trick on me, Mokuba," he replied stubbornly, still not willing to give in. Silence followed again and Kaiba wondered for a brief moment if Mokuba hadn't hung up on him...but then he would hear a clicking sound, so he presumed he was still there. What if he was crying now...?

"Mokuba, are you-"

"I'm sorry, Seto, but then...would you do it if I asked you now? If I asked you to promise me you'd do it now?" Kaiba smacked himself mentally. He should've seen this coming – now Mokuba had him trapped again and he was completely and utterly helpless and powerless against him. How could he say no to Mokuba? To his own brother? The only thing he had in this world except his company...

Kaiba gritted his teeth, regretting his decision and hating himself for having a conscience. He let out a sigh and lowered his head in defeat. Silence followed again in which no one said a word, until Mokuba's meek and sorrowful voice broke the almost dead atmosphere.

"Seto?"

"Why her of all the people?" Kaiba asked grimly, his face darkening from the memory of Joey Wheeler and his previous stunts that sometimes managed to prove that he indeed lacked common sense. He could hear his brother shifting slightly on the other line. "You know I'm not too...fond of that mutt."

A small giggle escaped Mokuba's lips after he heard his brother's comment. He was sitting in the limo, waiting for the driver to finally reach the mansion. Secretly, he was hoping to hear his brother's agreement and now he had a feeling he was on a good way to achieve that. He sighed somewhat tiredly and raised his head to reveal a pair of hopeful eyes.

"I know you don't like Joey much, but...Serenity is really nice and I think you'd like her," he replied, a small note of enthusiasm creeping in his voice, "She's really...kind and I think she could cheer you up a bit."

Kaiba cocked one cynical eyebrow. "Cheer me up? Mokuba..."

"Okay, okay, I know...but...just this week and-"

"This week?!" Kaiba screeched into the phone, perplexed and baffled with his words. He thought he'd have to endure her for just one day. No one said anything about a whole week with a Wheeler! Mokuba drew the phone away slightly again, cringing.

"All right, all right, then...for three days! And if you won't like it, then I won't ask you to do it ever again! I promise!" Mokuba blurted out quickly, afraid of making his brother loose that little piece of sanity he got left. He heard a thumping sound on the other side and wondered for a brief moment what happened.

"Seto? Are you...still there?"

Kaiba slowly raised his head after banging it against his desk firmly. He rubbed his forehead vigorously; trying to soothe the sharp pain...he sensed a headache coming on. He glared at the paper once again and sighed, defeated. Three days...he would have to go out of his office, leave his job and go socialize with no one else then a Wheeler. He remembered briefly the girl Mokuba dragged in yesterday – she did seem smart enough to apologize and leave. Perhaps, those three days won't end up being so excruciating like they were when Joey Wheeler was around.

"Fine," he muttered, almost spitting those words out and when Mokuba opened his mouth to squeal a 'thank you', he interrupted him sharply. "But only for three days, Mokuba. And that's it."

Mokuba raised his fist in the air victoriously, grinning from ear to ear. He gave the driver a thumbs up who was observing the whole scene intently and waiting for the older Kaiba to give in...After all, it was only a matter of time.

"Thanks, Seto!" Mokuba beamed at the driver and practically radiated happiness. The driver smiled back at him and almost lost the control over the vehicle due to the constant peeping at the mirror. Mokuba heard a grumbling sound on the other line but it didn't really matter. His brother finally listened to him for once and decided to spend a few days out of his office for a couple of hours. True – it was only for three days, but it was only if he didn't like Serenity's company which was doubtable. Who on earth wouldn't like Serenity?

"I'll see you at home then! Bye and have fun!" He said happily and broke the line. Then, he jumped once in his seat and smiled contently. Finally, he reached his goal...The only problem was – he didn't know if Serenity would still like to meet his brother after meeting his gloomy and broody personality. Not to mention all the bashing Seto always had in store when it came to Joey...Mokuba's happy expression faded away slowly and he stared at the driver in worry.

"Uh – oh...I just hope Seto will behave properly..."

Serenity was becoming nervous.

When Mokuba called her this morning and asked her to meet his brother at the main square, she was slightly apprehensive. Further more, because Mokuba sounded edgy himself. She remembered the conversation they had and wondered briefly if she was perhaps standing in the middle of the main square for nothing...After all, after she witnessed the CEO's outburst and after he told her to leave, she doubted he would agree to meet her just like that. He didn't seem like the apologizing type very much and she already had a weird feeling Mokuba was the main responsible for the whole arrangement. She even wondered if his brother knew about the whole mess after he sounded so nervous over the phone...

"Are you sure about this, Mokuba?"

"Yeah, yeah – why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know...I mean – he doesn't seem to like me very much..."

"Of course he does! Don't you worry – just be there at 2 o'clock and you'll see it will turn out fine!"

"But, Mokuba, what if-"

Click.

And so, there she was – dressed in a nice pair of shorts and a t-shirt, waiting for the mighty CEO of Kaiba Corporation to show up. And there was still no sign of him, whatsoever. She looked around the square, hoping to see his tall figure somewhere, but couldn't spot anyone who even resembled him in any way. The way he looked, dressed and behaved was always so different and unique and she really couldn't remember knowing anyone whom she could identify him with.

Glancing at her watch, she saw it was 2:06 which indicated that he was late...Well, she mused – he wasn't really that late, but knowing his reputation, he was always punctual, demanding and somehow managed to preserve an air of mystery around him.

She had to admit that, that same air of elusiveness and the fact that he looked so untouchable intrigued her and made her wonder what was really underneath. She still believed no one was without a heart and she wondered for a moment what kind of heart he had, what lied beneath his cold and icy surface...

Being deep in her thoughts, she didn't register the shadow creeping slowly over her until she felt a presence of someone behind her and turned around quickly, startled.

She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw it was Seto Kaiba who finally showed up, but that relief slowly subsided when she saw an irritated look on his face, his demeanor rigid and cold and his hands crossed over his chest.

She was at a loss of words for a while before he gave her a stoic glare and she almost flinched. She had a sudden impression he would start yelling at her like that day in his office, but he simply stared at her calmly, not saying a word.

She shifted uneasily and reverted her eyes from his icy ones to look around. When she wanted to say hello, she had to look at him and that sent a wave of uneasiness over her again. She managed to smile slightly and bow.

"H-hello," she said softly, glancing at him before bowing respectfully.

Kaiba cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. She was, indeed different, although she shared a bloodline with Joey Wheeler. She at least had something he didn't have – she had manners.

Uncrossing his hands, he sighed inwardly and decided to finally say what he intended. And that, he thought, might save him the trouble.

"I'm doing this for Mokuba, just to notify you," he said flatly, looking at her sharply and sending shivers down her spine, "and I will spend three days with you for his sake and because I...promised, so don't get any illusions."

He was quiet again and Serenity blinked. After the shock subsided a bit, she nodded slowly. She understood; in fact – she already thought it would sound too good to be true. So, he as well as she made promises to Mokuba and she intended to keep her part of the deal - even if that meant walking around with a rock and talking to herself for the most of the time.

"I understand," she replied softly and smiled, despite the chilly sensation in the pit of her stomach. Kaiba looked at her, somewhat surprised by her answer but kept his mask on.

"Good," he said nonchalantly and they stood like that for a few moments, both lost and confused. Kaiba would've never admitted it, but he felt...odd and uncomfortable around the girl, and standing like an idiot in the middle of the square wasn't helping either. He crossed his hands again in annoyance, already regretting his words and dreading the next two hours with the sister of Joey Wheeler.

Serenity was equally lost and confused. She didn't know what to say, what to do, and where to go. She knew they were standing in the middle of the main square and doing nothing. People were staring to stare at them oddly and she had a feeling she was becoming a statue. Deciding to break the charade, she glanced at the taller boy and saw he looked bored and annoyed.

"Uhm, hey," she started, feeling so stupid and lame for her choice of words. When he reverted his attention back to her, she smiled slightly, deciding to behave as normal as possible. "Would you like to...go somewhere for a drink or something? I know a nice place Mokuba and I went to the other day..."

She halted, shuddering slightly just by looking in his eyes. Something about them made her shiver and she could feel her heart race suddenly. She just didn't know why...he wouldn't hurt her, would he?

Kaiba suppressed the urge to snort when he heard her suggestion. He could sense she was feeling equally lost and baffled like he was, but since he was stuck with her for two hours and for the upcoming three days, what else could they do...

"I suppose," he replied slowly, glaring at the fountain and feeling incredibly idiotic. Serenity nodded and stood in front of him for a good few seconds until she realized she should probably lead the way and smiled at him awkwardly. Turning around she started walking towards a café on the other side of the square and turned her head to see him standing in the same spot. He was looking at her strangely and she stopped.

"Uhm," she started, pointing at the café across the square, "It's this way." She added, turning around again and started walking. She grimaced slightly, wishing for him to stop looking at her with those sharp eyes of his. She had a feeling like they were trying to rip through her and she definitely didn't like the feeling.

Kaiba growled mentally and went after the girl, walking steadily and letting his white trench coat billow behind him. He prepared himself mentally for very long, two hours and sighed dejectedly.

"The things I do for Mokuba..."

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 **A/N: More chapters soon!**


	5. Day One: Awkwardness

**A/N: Hey noobs. I guess it's important to mention that I'm currently working on another story as well, for a different anime, so if I ever stay too long without updating or posting the chapters, that's the reason.**

 **Disclaimer: I own Yu-gi-oh the same way I own myself: I don't. My parents do. Well, they don't really own this story, so maybe it's not exactly the same way... Whatever, what the fuck am I even talking about lol.  
**

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Cheer up, Mr. Kaiba!

-By Alena S. Anigor-

Chapter V: Day one: Awkwardness

The crowd of people that that was usually chatting happily, sitting in front of the café, was somewhat silent. Whispers and murmurs were heard all around one specific table that was somehow in the center of attention, due to the fact that a certain Seto Kaiba was sitting there and with a lovely looking girl, as well. Speculations started to circle around...

Serenity fidgeted nervously, feeling every man and woman around her staring at her in an almost disturbing manner. She felt like a doll, exhibited in some shop window and a wave of uneasiness washed over her, making her palms slightly moist. She never really liked to be in a center of attention – she felt like she did something wrong or like something was on her face, heaven forbid that...

She glanced at her taller companion who was sitting across the table, with his arms crossed and glaring at nothing in particular. His frown, and his whole demeanor, however, showed just how much fun he was having. Serenity felt completely lost; like someone just left her to sit there with a complete stranger to deal with on her own...Well, he wasn't really a stranger, but then again – she never really got close enough to him to be able to say she really knew him. She sighed and inwardly thanked the waiter for coming and breaking the, already tense atmosphere between them.

She ordered a glass of mineral water; she needed something to clear her dry throat. Kaiba glared at the waiter and the younger man bulged his eyes slightly when he saw who was sitting at the table. He stuttered a few words on which Kaiba let out a tortured sigh and ordered the same. It was odd to see the CEO of Kaiba Corporation drinking a plain, mineral water, but he never really paid attention to what he was drinking anyway. Serenity was surprised, though – she expected him to order champagne or one of those expensive cocktails.

When Kaiba crossed his hands again and directed his glare upwards to observe the perfectly blue sky, Serenity sank lower in her chair, already wishing she could simply disappear. All those chills she felt just by looking at him were starting to make her nervous. She knew they couldn't really spend the remaining hour and a half in utmost silence, but...what could they talk about? She was positive he wouldn't like to talk about girly stuff...but what could she say then?

Serenity was so deep in thoughts that she barely registered when the waiter came back and put two glasses on the table shakily. He smiled nervously and then stood there, baffled for a moment before Kaiba shot him with a sharp look and he scampered away quickly. Serenity finally managed to come up with a good topic to start the conversation with...She wasn't really sure she knew all the details and rules, but she saw her brother in action already, and even participated in one of those things once...

"So," she started softly, making the CEO look at her somewhat obnoxiously, "are you planning on organizing another Duel Monsters tournament?" She asked, shivering slightly when he gave her that penetrating look. Kaiba studied the girl for a few seconds before he decided to answer.

"Not at the moment," he replied stoically, looking at her with a serious expression, "but I intend to beat Yuugi in a duel, and I will." He added, that vengeful note evident in his voice. His expression became grim and almost threatening and Serenity wondered if the poor Yuugi would ever stop having trouble with people who constantly wanted to beat him in a duel, get their hands on his Millennium Puzzle or even get their hands on his cards.

"I see..." Was all she could say and cringed inwardly when the CEO directed his eyes sideways and glared again at the people who flinched after he caught them staring at him.

Silence overtook from there again, and Serenity stared underneath the table, observing her shoes and her fidgeting toes inside.

Kaiba cursed the moment when he decided to agree to Mokuba's terms mentally. How his brother always managed to do that to him, was beyond him. All he knew that one moment, he was angry with him for pulling a stunt like that and then felt guilty the next, when he heard his sad voice and practically saw his crestfallen expression. And now – he was having a ball. Kaiba glowered at the people around him who were still whispering and murmuring all sorts of theories he didn't want to know about, thinking he was having more fun on his business meetings. At least he could fire those he didn't like and vent his irritation on them...Now, he could only sit there like a statue and feel incredibly stupid. He felt like he was on a freak show – with him as the main protagonist.

Serenity's fidgeting was becoming more and more evident. She almost fell off her chair when she heard one of the women commenting how she must be the new girlfriend of Seto Kaiba. She barely suppressed the urge to stand up and yell at everyone to stop doing that. Instead – she blushed, earning a fit of giggles in return from those women near their table.

She grabbed her glass of mineral water and took a long sip; being thirsty and in a desperate need of something to make her cool down. She – a girlfriend of Seto Kaiba? The sheer thought was so hilarious that she almost choked on the water. She quickly put the glass down, coughing a few times softly and patting her chest lightly. Seto Kaiba gave her one if his usual stoic looks and then got back to glaring. Serenity has had enough. Grabbing the glass again, she drank all the water and put the glass firmly on the table.

"Uhm, Mr. Kaiba?" She asked quietly, making Kaiba look at her sternly, "Would you like to go...for a walk?" She added, hoping he would say yes. She had enough of people staring at her like that and wanted nothing more than to leave the place as soon as possible. Kaiba was observing her for one, long moment in which she shuddered inwardly, trying not to show her discomfort caused by his keen eyes.

She finally said one smart thing today, in Kaiba's opinion. She did have manners at least, but she lacked other things like basic communication skills. This whole time she managed to say two sentences, which proved that she was no smarter than her brother. The thought of Joey Wheeler made him frown unconsciously. Not that he was a social butterfly himself, but at least he'd always find a topic to discuss about. But then again – what could he discuss about with someone like her?

Serenity mistook the frown on his face – already thinking how he liked to sit there, and when she wanted to suggest him to pick a topic he would like to talk about, he got up abruptly, making her gap at him with her lips slightly parted. Kaiba looked at her expectedly, now slightly puzzled why was she still sitting when she wanted to leave.

"I thought you said you'd like to go..." he recoiled inwardly at the thought, "for a walk."

Serenity let out a soft 'oh' before she blushed slightly in embarrassment, almost stumbling when she got up quickly and her foot got caught between the legs of the table for a second. When Kaiba turned around to look for the waiter he found him standing not to far away, monitoring the whole place. The waiter understood the gesture and was by the table in a second, smiling and fidgeting with the check in his hands. Serenity was fishing through her pocket, collecting the change she had in there and retrieved her hand out of the pocket a few moments later, stretching her head towards the waiter to let the coins fall on his palm. Kaiba looked at her oddly, expecting her to pay for her water and was slightly surprised to see her paying for the both of them.

She gasped slightly when he stopped her by grabbing her hand. Looking at him in surprise, she saw the impassive look on his face.

"You're not paying for me," he said coolly and took the coins from the waiter's hand, leaving only the exact amount necessary to pay for her mineral water only. Serenity blinked in confusion, as well as the waiter and then looked at him again, puzzled.

"But, but..." she stuttered slightly, "it was my idea to come here...I should pay for the both of us." She stated, on which he said nothing and gave her one of his cold looks. The waiter smiled at them, already thinking how the CEO wanted to be polite.

"Mr. Kaiba is a real gentleman," he commented before his smile vanished when the CEO have him a stone – crushing glare. Serenity just stared at the two, still hearing the excited murmurs all around them. After Kaiba slammed the money against the waiter's palm firmly, he gulped; already sure that he had said something wrong.

"I don't want to owe anything to a Wheeler," came the cold reply of the CEO. Serenity's face saddened slightly. The waiter just gaped at him then scattered away after the initial shock.

Kaiba glanced at his watch; one more hour left to endure and it was over...for today. He groaned when he remembered he still had two days to spend with her and lowering his head in annoyance started walking away down the square, leaving his glass of water full, whispers of the other customers and one astonished girl behind.

The sight of his trench coat billowing behind him made Serenity look like he ditched her, which left her embarrassed again and even slightly angry. She did nothing wrong – it wasn't her fault he was always so moody and morose. True, it was her mistake for not being able to find anything to talk about, but then again – she wasn't an expert in dueling, she had no idea about business management and she was afraid to mention Yuugi and her brother, already well aware that he wasn't quite fond of both of them. She wondered briefly if he was fond of anyone except Mokuba, who seemed like the only person who could control him.

When she heard someone commenting how 'the poor girl wasn't good enough for him', she snapped out of her stupor and realized that Seto Kaiba already walked away, strolling nonchalantly down the square.

Ignoring pitiful looks the crowd was giving her, she started running after him, suddenly feeling very agitated and upset. When she reached him and finally caught a glimpse of his, ever – present frown on his face she frowned as well. The man was a mood killer - that was for sure. He ignored her completely, glancing at his watch to probably count minutes until he would be free to walk away from her, or that's at least what she thought. She was right, though – Kaiba couldn't wait for the hour to pass so he could go back to his office and do something productive, instead of wasting his time walking aimlessly down the streets.

He could see her, walking calmly by his side, and glared at everyone who gave them a funny look. Serenity's head was lowered, her bangs swaying back and forth slowly, shielding her eyes from him. Not that he even bothered to look at her. She felt so stupid and so naïve to even think that she could try and cheer him up. Mokuba had no idea what he got them both into and now she made a promise she wasn't sure she could keep in the first place. She glanced around the street – everywhere she looked, she saw children laughing and school girls giggling among themselves. She could see couples sitting calmly on the benches in the park, looking so peaceful and happy. And she was currently walking next to an iceberg and feeling miserable and lost.

She spotted a bench nearby that wasn't occupied and decided to sit there. The only problem was the taller boy next to her who still had his arms crossed and glared straight ahead.

"Mr. Kaiba?" she asked in, a somewhat flat tone, "would you like to sit with me here?" She pointed at the bench and he stared grimly at the wooden bench for a while before he simply uncrossed his hands and sat down on the bench, crossing his legs and arms again. Serenity didn't expect him to give in so easily, but she presumed that was his tactic – to simply obey her every word and ignore her. Fine...

She sat down as well, as far away as she could, not even bothering to glance at him to see if he was by any chance having fun. It was mission impossible. The only time he was having fun was when he could insult other people – her brother being one of them. She simply couldn't understand how could someone hold so many grudges and so much malice inside. They were silent for a few minutes like that, now both of them ignoring the awkward stares other people threw at them.

Kaiba was becoming annoyed by the whole thing – he was constantly glancing at his watch, wishing for time to go faster, but according to the digits on the watch – he still had to endure 40 minutes of time wasting. Around him, people stared at him then at the sad looking girl on the other side of the bench and then back at him, giving him an accusing look, which somehow irritated him the most. He was glaring at his watch this time, counting the minutes till his liberation. The girl was oddly silent and he wondered if she was still there in the first place. Glancing at the brown – haired girl, he noticed the crestfallen look on her face that somehow reminded him of Mokuba's when he was sad. He growled mentally – that was a stupid thought. Mokuba would never resemble a Wheeler, no matter what.

He repeated the conversation in his head all the time – the way Mokuba's sad and heartbreaking voice echoed through the line and then how happy and cheerful he seemed when he finally gave in to his proposal and made a promise...a treacherous one that would, no doubt, cost him a lot of his precious time and not to mention nerves. But, he just couldn't stand to see him unhappy and sad...It didn't suit him, that wasn't the Mokuba he knew...The Mokuba he knew was always happy, energetic and optimistic boy, a smile always present on his face and his eyes always shining with vivacious energy. He would do anything to see him being the Mokuba he was, even if that meant making a hazardous mistake he was now forced to endure and pay – going out with a Wheeler. He mentally cringed at the thought again. Glancing at his watch once more, he relaxed slightly, seeing he only had to sit here for another half an hour and then he was free to go.

Serenity was also contemplating her part of the bargain. She thought it would be easy – how could the older Kaiba be so cold and distant? It was impossible – no one could be so bitter and reserved...but her previous beliefs fell down like a house made of cards and she felt like she somehow disappointed her own brother and Mokuba as well. She couldn't help him – Seto Kaiba was hard as rock and cold as ice, and as much as she believed someone could always break those walls, she was at a loss of what to do. She even had a hunch Mokuba managed to trick him into coming here and meeting her, and she didn't like it that way.

Half an hour passed in further silence and people around them stopped paying attention to them – they simply looked like two complete strangers, deciding to sit on the same bench at the same time and not having anything in common. And that was pretty much close to the truth.

When Seto Kaiba looked at his watch again, he got up so quickly that Serenity felt the absence of his weight on the bench. She looked up to see him looking at her seriously and got up as well. Glancing at her own watch she saw what time it was and actually sighed in relief, glad those two hours were over.

Kaiba's lips quirked into a satisfied smirk. Uncrossing his hands, he looked at the girl in front of him and put his hands into the pockets of his trench coat.

"The two hours passed and I presume I'm free to go," he spoke calmly, in his leveled and cold tone. Turning around slowly, he started walking down the street, his cell phone already in his hand. He notified his driver where he was then stopped to glance at Serenity before he continued down the street and behind a corner.

"Two more days."

Serenity's lips parted and she already wanted to say he didn't have to come again if he didn't want to, but he was already gone. She could only see a glimpse of his white trench coat before it, too, vanished behind the corner. She was left to stand in the middle of the park, in front of the wooden bench and with her hand half raised in the air. Her face revealed sadness and pain, but above all – disappointment and pity. She was disappointed with herself and she felt sorry for Mokuba...

She just didn't know how was she going to bring the news to him – how was she supposed to tell him that his brother seemed like a lost case and that nothing in the world could cheer him up? She had a vague feeling that Mokuba was the only one capable of doing that, and she intended to tell that to him, as much as she hated to break her promises...but what was the point of trying to keep a promise when she couldn't keep it...and wasn't even sure if she wanted to keep it.

Strolling down the park silently, she felt like a traitor, like a failure but dismissed those thoughts soon after that. It wasn't her fault – she was trying, she wanted to help, she gave her best, but in vain.

She felt a strange pang in her heart when she realized the bitter truth – that the CEO of the Kaiba Corporation really had no heart.

* * *

 **A/N: More chapters soon!**


	6. Breaking Point

**A/N: "Omae wa mou shindeiru."**

 **"Nani?!"**

* * *

Cheer up, Mr. Kaiba!

-By Alena S. Anigor-

Chapter VI: Breaking point

Mokuba turned the TV off when he heard a familiar sound of the black limousine approaching. He took a deep breath, jumping off the sofa after he spent a few hours watching the large screen numbly and not paying attention to what was on it at all. His thoughts were elsewhere.

After he came home and dropped his schoolbag on the floor in his room indifferently, he had been in deep thoughts. One particular thought continued to plague his mind constantly.

What if something went wrong?

He already knew his brother very well...he probably knew him better than he knew himself, and often caught himself fantasizing about how it would be if Seto decided to drop his work for a while to spend some time with him...how it would be if he smiled once in a while like he used to smile when they were younger...And then an image of his brother yelling at Serenity came to his mind and he grimaced, covering his forehead with the back of his hand. That would be quite a sight to see. Maybe...maybe he really made a mistake when he asked Serenity for help. Knowing Seto, he could almost imagine the telephone ringing, with Serenity on the other line saying how she never wanted to see another Kaiba sibling ever again. The phone was silent for the whole afternoon and Mokuba finally heaved in relief when the evening came, and along, his brother as well.

The doors of the Kaiba mansion opened and the older Kaiba entered the spacious hall with a heavy sigh and closed the doors. He lowered his head, putting his thumb and his index finger on the bridge of his nose and leaned on the heavy frame of the wooden double doors. The metallic briefcase was still hanging loosely in his hand, swaying slightly back and forth. Once it stopped swaying, it thumped lightly against the doors, joining its owner. Kaiba tried to sort his mind that was currently full of racing thoughts and impressions. Some of them were connected with the amount of work he had brought home, but most of them were related to a certain girl he was forced to spend his afternoon with. He still couldn't believe what he had to endure for two whole hours and how he had gotten himself into that. When he heard a cheerful voice of his younger brother, he growled inwardly and his mind whispered somewhere in the back of his head: There's your answer.

Mokuba practically jumped out of the living room and into the hall, a bright smile plastered to his face as he greeted him cheerfully. For some odd reason, Kaiba couldn't really look at him; he had a strange feeling he wouldn't be able to resist the urge to glare at him, and that was something he rarely did. Mokuba was his little brother; practically his everything in this world and the thought of being angry at him and yelling at him scared him. He stared at the marble floor instead.

"Hey Seto!" Mokuba chirped happily from the hall, approaching his brother casually. He was eager to find out what happened and if there were any casualties involved in his meeting with Serenity. He honestly hoped there weren't any. When he noticed his brother glancing at the floor firmly, he stopped, a sudden feeling of dread creeping around his chest. His eyes widened slightly and he instantly knew something wasn't right. He looked at his shoes and then at his own solemn reflection in the perfectly shining floor.

"Mokuba," the CEO replied slowly, leaving the comfort of the wooden double doors and striding down the hall slowly. Mokuba looked at him worriedly when he strode past him and towards his study room. Turning around swiftly, he bit his lip for a second, before strolling after him, determined to find out what happened. He could always call Serenity but...it was already late anyway, and he wanted Seto to tell him his version first.

"So, uhm...how was it?" He asked again, his voice full of fake happiness, instead of the usual, genuine cheerfulness it carried. Kaiba clenched his briefcase slightly, opening the doors of his study and turning the lights on.

"Fine," he replied in that same, leveled tone and placed his briefcase on the wooden desk firmly. After he sat down, cursing inwardly the amount of paperwork that awaited him inside, he turned on the laptop, his eyes immediately flying to the illuminating screen. Mokuba was disappointed with that kind of answer. Still, he wanted more – he didn't go through all that trouble of arranging the meeting and then all his brother had to say was one, single word. He decided to pry a little further. He wanted to know if his efforts meant something or they turned out to be completely fruitless.

"Did you have fun?" He asked and stood in front of the desk, observing the pile of folders on the table and a pair of pale hands digging through it. Kaiba was searching for the folder that had a 'DDS' name on it. He wanted to continue with his research on the newest Duel Disk system and thanks to one stubborn brother and one annoying girl, had no chance and no time at all to even look at it. When he finally came back to his office, the secretary almost stuffed him completely with a list of missed calls and unsigned papers. Needles to say – he spent the rest of his day in office, cursing out loud and making everyone around and near the office doors scram away. And now, his brother was asking him if he had fun.

Kaiba raised a pair of dark, almost ominous eyes and Mokuba flinched inwardly. He didn't expect that kind of reaction but then again, the look he gave him told him everything he wanted to know. He glanced at the folders lying scattered on the desk, trying to avoid his brother's eyes. Sometimes and quite frankly – his brother was really scary.

Kaiba sighed in annoyance and continued on typing after he finally plucked the desired file out of the stack of folders.

"No, Mokuba," he replied indignantly, his eyes glued to screen again, "I didn't have fun."

Mokuba's shoulders sagged slowly. Well, there was his answer, loud and clear. He didn't have fun. And it was exactly what he expected to hear. Of course, hearing him say he had fun would've been nice for a change, but Mokuba knew that was impossible. Even if he had said that, he would be lying, and that was something Mokuba despised and detested with all his heart. He was left standing in the middle of the study room, watching his brother type on the laptop furiously and rummaging through the folders madly. He realized now that all that effort to make him loosen up and relax a bit made him even more tense and severe than before. Now he would probably have to spend another sleepless night working his eyes out. Mokuba lowered his head in defeat; he only managed to make things worse. Glancing one more time at him, he turned around and started walking towards the doors.

Kaiba was screaming all sorts of profanities in his mind; cursing the moment when he made that fatal promise and let his brotherly instincts guide him. Of course Mokuba was important to him, but the boy was sometimes too cunning and too manipulating for his own good. And setting him up with a Wheeler was the most ludicrous stunt he has ever pulled up. And then telling her to try and cheer him up...what was he thinking?

When Kaiba realized he was literally harassing the keyboard, he stopped typing and saw that the half of the screen was filled with wrong information and some words that didn't make sense at all. He growled in irritation and frustration and resisted the urge to throw the laptop aside. His brain was too preoccupied with thoughts that had nothing to do with a new Duel Disk system and thus, the half of the screen had to be deleted.

He turned his head to look at Mokuba but was slightly surprised when he saw that his brother was gone. He didn't even notice his departure and that left him slightly confused and puzzled. Calling after him made no sense to him anymore, since his brother was already god knows where. Plus, one giant pile of unsorted folders and a new Duel Disk system development was still craving for his attention and reluctantly he got back to the papers and typing. Outside the room, after he closed the doors gently, Mokuba leaned on the doorframe, his eyes slightly glazed. He was gazing upwards, watching the high ceiling of the mansion, and trying to sort his own thoughts out.

No matter how hard he tried, his brother remained a rock, merciless and cold as ice and not even he could melt his hard exterior down. Now, after spending so much time with him, after surviving all those hardships and troubles they had to go through, one would think his brother could finally relax and enjoy his life...

Yeah, right! A little, bitter voice spoke in his mind and Mokuba lowered his head to stare at the floor. Once again, he could see his perfectly visible reflection, staring back at him intently. A pair of sad, sorrowful eyes narrowed and turned into a glaring pair of violet orbs, sharp and full of resentment. Clenching his fists angrily, Mokuba raised his head defiantly and started running up the carpeted spiral stairs. He was fighting back the upcoming tears, trying to smother the suffocating lump in his throat but in the end, all that anguish and bitterness finally crawled out into the open and he flopped on his bed heavily, burying his head in the soft fabric of his pillow, muffling his cries.

"Why?" He choked helplessly, burying his face deeper into the pillow, fists clenched at the sides of his head. "Why can't all be like it was before?"

In that one, desperate moment one single thought struck him so suddenly, it made him raise his head and he stared numbly at the squished pillow and wrinkled bed sheets. It all so made perfect sense right now, although it was actually hard to believe. Mokuba got up on his knees, staring blankly at his hands then out the window. It was dark outside, and the sky was filled with sparkling stars. Mokuba had a sudden desire to pull the curtains and shut that peaceful image of the night sky out of his mind.

It wasn't fair...Looking around, he saw various toys and games scattered around; all latest models. Game consoles and numerous game boards and cards were lying uselessly around. He had everything his heart desired before. Everything he wished for, his brother would make him. All his childhood dreams and fantasies came true, but it suddenly occurred to him that with gaining all those things he desired so much, he lost one thing that was even more important then all of his childhood cravings.

Yes, he was practically living in a world he dreamed of when he was younger and now everything was different, everything changed seemingly for the better.

But now, he wished for all those material possessions to disappear. He didn't want them anymore; all he wanted was just a few floors below, but sadly enough, he realized that he lost his brother somewhere on the way. His big brother was still trapped in that same time and place – in that same orphanage, many years ago. And now all he wished was to go back to that time and place. Even if there were no card games and Duel Monsters...but there was his brother, gentle and smiling. His big brother...

"Seto," he whispered sadly, after he flopped down on his bed again, closing his eyes and falling asleep. And for a moment, he forgot all about the arrangement he made and he forgot about the fact that his brother and Serenity were still obliged to spend two hours for the remaining two days together.

Serenity was trying to reach Mokuba on the phone for the last half an hour, but the line was constantly busy. Sighing dejectedly, she put the phone handle down and stared at the clock on the wall. It was near noon, and she sighed again, knowing very well that in two hours she would have to meet the CEO on the square again and spend two, long hours in silence.

He still recalled the way they were just sitting in front of that café and doing nothing but that. He didn't say a word, she was afraid to say anything at all because she didn't want to sound stupid and the similar situation awaited her at the park until those two hours finally passed and they both went their ways like nothing happened. It was just...bizarre. Besides, what could she say? Her knowledge about both Duel Monsters and technology was practically nonexistent, and she was sure he wouldn't be thrilled if she said she wanted to visit her brother. For some, to her unknown reason, the CEO didn't like her brother and the feelings were mutual. Tea mentioned something vaguely to her about Kaiba, her brother and dogs, although that was quite a while ago and she couldn't really understand what her brother had to do with dogs.

She spent the rest of her time thinking profusely about the mysterious CEO. What was wrong with him? She knew his current demeanor had something to do with his past, but what kind of life altering experience he had gone through that changed him so much, she didn't know.

"Well," she consoled herself with a sigh, "it's just for two more days."

Standing stiffly by the fountain in the middle of the main square, Serenity fidgeted slightly, glancing around the square and trying to see anyone who was tall, dressed in a trench coat and wearing a frown. After a few minutes, she finally saw the person who fit her description perfectly.

Kaiba sighed inwardly when he spotted the girl standing by the fountain. He was very close to finishing his newest invention when the secretary informed him he had to go meet Serenity Wheeler again. A playful and somewhat amusing note in her voice disappeared when he glared at her and she lowered her head quickly to hide an almost satisfying smirk. He was still tired and weary from typing the parameters into the duel disk system and going through all the paperwork that was still waiting for him, but he didn't let it show. Serenity, though, still managed to see barely visible dark circles under his eyes and the way his face seemed slightly pale and drained.

When he approached her, he saw the strange look she gave him and frowned.

"What?" He asked somewhat roughly and Serenity averted his eyes from his for a second, suddenly feeling that chilling sensation in the pit of her stomach again. When she looked at him again, he was still standing in front of her with his hands crossed and his facial expression hard and demanding.

"Are you all right?" She asked him softly, still observing the weary gleam in his eyes that gave away his state. His frown deepened however and he looked past her, noticing a few schoolgirls pointing at them. He glared at them and directed his glare at Serenity instead.

"I'm fine," he replied coldly, his voice flat and with a note of annoyance in it. Serenity sighed helplessly again, knowing very well that he could say whatever he wanted, but she could still see how tired and exhausted he was. Even the way he stood in front of her revealed how he felt from the inside – his shoulders were slightly hunched, his hands were crossed but seemed slightly limp and of course, his face was almost sallow looking.

"You don't look like you're fine," Serenity retorted, her soft voice mixed with worry. Kaiba just gave her an irritated look and she didn't dare to pry further. They were standing like that for a while, before she realized that they should probably go somewhere, do something...anything. Biting her lip, she was trying to remember a decent place to go to but nothing came to her mind. In the end, she gave up and blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

"Would you like to go with me to the beach?"

A beach. Kaiba stared at her in wonder for a moment, involuntarily raising a pair of questioning eyebrows and making her blush in embarrassment. She quickly turned her head away, grimacing and feeling incredibly stupid for blurting that out. He was still looking at her oddly, and her blush deepened. She realized just now that the beach was practically on the other side of the city and almost smacked her forehead.

"I mean...not the beach, no, that's too far away..." She muttered hastily, and quickly turned around, as if trying to find something or someone that might save her from her current situation. Glancing behind him, she noticed something that gave her a good idea.

"Well, actually, I thought about that bridge," she stated softly, pointing at the bridge not so close but not so far away behind him. Kaiba half – turned around to see what she was pointing at. He noticed the bridge she was talking about; it wasn't too far away but it was close enough to the sea.

Kaiba turned his head again and glanced at her. She was still blushing slightly and smiling in embarrassment. The smile was soft and made her look even more innocent and sweet. He was observing her face for a while before she looked at him and seeing him looking at her like that, blushed beat red again.

"Y-you don't have to, it was just...a suggestion..." She uttered quietly and looked away. Kaiba took a deep breath and looked at his watch. He still had an hour and a half of time to kill.

"Fine," he said, his voice lacking that cold note this time and sounding more polite. Serenity looked at him, slightly surprised that he agreed and nodded slowly.

"Uh, well...let's go then!" She exclaimed and walked past him and down the street. Kaiba took a deep breath, and uncrossed his arms. Just one more day and then it'll all be over.

Reaching the bridge that overlooked the sea, Serenity stopped in the middle of it, leaning on the metallic rail and breathing in the slightly salty air around her. It was warm here, the buildings behind the bridge creating the shadows and she stepped into one, enjoying the sound of waves crashing. Kaiba stopped beside her, crossing his arms and leaning on the rail as well, but with his back turned to the sea. At least there were no people here, and that suited him just fine.

A gentle smile crept on Serenity's face when she remembered how Joey used to drag her to the beach when they were little and how they used to make castles out of sand and run through every little wave the tide brought. Those were such nice memories and that was why she always liked the beach and the wide, blue sea.

She forgot about her companion for a while and with a startled 'oh' she turned around to see him glaring at the buildings in front of him. It was obvious he wasn't having fun here, either. She sighed exasperatedly and leaned on the rail in the same manner like he did.

"You..." she started hesitantly, making him glance at her sternly, "don't like it here?"

Kaiba kept his stern gaze on her for a few seconds then redirected his eyes forward. The sun was starting to annoy him, and the headache that was slowly threatening to make his head spin was making him queasy. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to go back to the cold solitude of his office and avoid all human beings for the rest of the day. One glance at his watch made him frown, however and he took a deep breath to try and smother the sudden wave of weariness and dizziness that swept through him. The action didn't go unnoticed by Serenity and she opened her mouth slightly, already ready to ask him if he was feeling all right again when he answered her question.

"It doesn't matter," he replied firmly, his voice a mixture of irritation and slight anger. Serenity was watching him for a few moments, observing his face that was becoming paler by every passing minute. It was so obvious he wasn't feeling well and not wanting to risk him fainting in the middle of the bridge, she decided the best thing to do was to leave.

"You're not feeling well," she stated firmly this time, the usual softness in her voice replaced by worry. He looked at her angrily and glared at her worried expression. A pulsating pain in his head reached its maximum and with a soft growl, he clenched his fingers around his forehead and closed his eyes shut tightly. Serenity gasped and immediately reached with her hand, panic evident in her hazel eyes.

"Mr. Kaiba!" she exclaimed fearfully and stepped in front of him. Turning her head around, she saw they were alone and there was no one who could help her. She turned her attention back to the CEO who was still covering his eyes with his head. Another wave of dizziness and exhaustion rushed through him and Serenity quickly grabbed him by the hand, afraid he might fall.

He reacted to the warm touch of her hands immediately and opened his eyes, jerking his hand out of hers.

"I'm fine!" He spat hoarsely and backed away from her. She was left standing behind him with her mouth agape and her hands still half – raised in the air. She shook her head absentmindedly. What was with that boy?

"But, you're not feeling well! Mr. Kaiba, please!" She exclaimed anxiously when he stumbled a bit and leaned on the rail again for a support. He waited until the wave of dizziness slowly crept away and straightened up, rubbing his forehead gently with his fingers. Serenity was merely watching him in wonder.

"Mr. Kaiba?" She asked softly, taking one step forward but he stopped her with a motion of his hand, not turning around once.

"I told you," he replied in a cold voice again, "I'm fine."

Serenity sighed heavily and nodded, but still watched him with worry. She shook her head after he looked at his watch to see what time it was. This was not good, she told to herself. He almost collapsed on the ground, and for some inane reason she felt guilty. When she thought about it – it was her who agreed to help Mokuba, who made that promise and now...that promise brought nothing but trouble. She lowered her head and looked at her clasped hands in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she took a few steps forward until she was standing in front of him. She observed his face for a moment. Although he was glaring at her, his expression was still pale and the dark circles under his eyes seemed more visible than before. He looked so old, so...tired.

"Go home," she said firmly to him and his facial expression remained stoic for a second before he frowned slightly in confusion. Noticing his puzzlement, she smiled slightly but her eyes were still filled with worry and determination.

"I don't care what you say," she ventured softly, "you're not feeling well and I don't want you to risk your health because of me. Go home and take some rest. You need it."

With that, she smiled reassuringly at him and he blinked once, not knowing what to say or how to react. She bowed respectfully once before she turned around and started walking down the bridge. She took a few steps before she stopped abruptly and turned around. Her expression was somewhat solemn and regretful.

"I will talk to Mokuba about this...obviously, both his idea and good will are doing both of us no good."

She stood there for a while, looking past him and gazing at the wide sea, and the blue sky, melted together at the horizon, as if contemplating something before she snapped out of her stupor and smiled at him. With another bow, she greeted him and turned around, walking calmly down the bridge.

Kaiba was slightly baffled. He was staring at her retreating figure, still a bit puzzled and taken aback. Go home, she said...

When he glanced at his watch, he saw he still had one hour left from the meeting and not knowing what else to do, grabbed his cell phone. After contacting his driver and telling him to pick him up, he looked at the sea absentmindedly and for the first time, noticed the deep blue color of it. It almost resembled his eyes and he stared at the unruly water for a while.

His eyes glazed slightly; he remembered Mokuba saying once how it would be great to spend a whole day on the beach, playing in the sand and building castles, swimming and running...for the whole day, just the two of them...

He snapped out of his stupor when he heard a sound of car approaching not too far away. He spotted a black limousine and a usual stoic expression replaced his thoughtful one. He started walking towards the limo, thinking about what the girl said.

He frowned slightly when he realized she was right; tonight, he'd also have to talk to Mokuba about the whole thing, and hopefully make him understand that nothing is more important than his company and Mokuba's future company as well. He hadn't gotten so far to give it all up now. After all – thanks to him and Kaiba Corporation, they finally had a decent life worth living, and he'll just have to understand that.

When he stepped into the car and the driver greeted him, he crossed his hands and looked outside the window seriously.

"Back to the Kaiba Corporation," he said flatly, "I've got work to do."


	7. Broken Bond

**A/N: I'm running out of things to say here, so I'll just leave an author note whenever it's relevant.  
**

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Cheer up, Mr. Kaiba!

-By Alena S. Anigor-

Chapter VII: Broken bond

"I'm home!" Serenity exclaimed when she finally reached the doors of her house, entered inside and closed them behind her with a sigh. Her greeting was void of its usual cheerfulness and sounded tired and worn up instead. Her mother greeted her back and smiled politely at her, asking her how her day was. Serenity forced a smile on her lips.

"Fine!" She replied with faked enthusiasm and sat down on the chair behind the kitchen table. Her mother, a gentle and soft - spoken looking woman placed a plate in front of her. Serenity was observing the food on the plate with a mixture of sadness and sullenness, making her mother think she disliked the meal she prepared for her.

"You don't like it? I can fix you something else if you want," she said, glancing at her daughter worriedly. Her own expression mirrored the one of her daughter but that didn't last for long when Serenity snapped out of her daze and looked at her with a soft smile.

"No, no, that's all right," she replied quickly, "I'm just not hungry."

Her mother gave her a suspicious look then removed the plate to put it on the cupboard next to the kitchen sink.

"All right, but if you get hungry, it'll wait for you here. You can warm it up later if you want..." her mother ventured, slipping on her purse and fixing her hair in the mirror in the hall. Serenity was watching her almost solemnly while she was putting on her shoes and coat on.

"I'm off to work, sweetheart, take care!" She added and opening the doors, stepped out and closed them softly behind. Serenity could still see the faint outline of her retreating figure through the glass door before she vanished completely.

Leaning in her chair, she let out a heavy sigh and redirected her troubled stare at the kitchen table. What was she supposed to do now? The older Kaiba went home, or that's at least what she hoped he did, and the younger one...

"Oh, Mokuba..." she whispered dejectedly and sank lower in the chair. She felt completely lost, like a traitor, because she was about to betray the person she made a promise to. And that was making her heart clench. Mokuba was such a spirited, young boy who wanted nothing more than to make his brother happy, to see him smiled and relaxed...

Serenity leaned forward, resting her hands on the table and hiding her face behind them. She knew this was going to happen, she just knew it! How foolish of her to think she could actually help Mokuba, help the older Kaiba brother realize that not everything was in money making and corporate suits that made the life go round. And how foolish of her to make a promise she would now have to break...

"I'm sorry, Mokuba..." she whispered solemnly, burying her head deeper between her hands. Brownish bangs fell around her face and onto the table softly and she choked on a sob, trying to swallow it with all her might.

It was just in vain; no matter what she said, did, suggested or planned, everything was looked upon with a frown from him. She couldn't even make him smile, let alone laugh. That boy simply lost the ability to smile and feel happy. The only person who could still reach him was probably Mokuba, but since he had to ask her of all people for help, she doubted even he could melt his icy and cold demeanor. As much as she hated to admit it, there was no hope for Seto Kaiba. And she realized that she never felt so hopeless and helpless in her life herself like right now.

She raised her head slowly, staring at her hands for a moment before she leaned back slightly and got up from the chair. Turning around, she spotted the phone, hanging on the wall firmly, and she stared at it for a long moment, as if contemplating if the thing could bite her if she reached for it. Shaking her head resolutely, she stepped forward and grabbed the handle gently. Picking it up, she was gazing at the handle mutely, hearing the faint and dull sound indicating that the line was free. Tentatively, she raised her other hand and pressed a few numbers. Everything she did seemed like it was passing in slow motion and she took a deep breath, waiting for Mokuba to answer the phone. The dull, ringing sound made her slightly edgy and nervous; she still didn't know what to say to him and how to say it.

When Mokuba finally answered the phone, she had the sudden urge to hang up and run away somewhere, preferably to her room, flop down on her bed and hug her teddy bear. When Mokuba's voice became wary and slightly annoyed, she quickly opened her mouth and said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Mokuba, hey," she said in a rushed manner and Mokuba's voice was filled with momentary confusion before she could detect the usual cheerfulness in it again. Oh, she thought, this was going to be harder than I thought.

Mokuba was in the middle of trying to balance a stack of books and his lunch in both of his hands when his cell phone rang. He managed to place the books on his left knee somehow, still holding the lunch in other hand as he pressed the cell phone between his shoulder and his ear. When he heard silence on the other line, he became slightly agitated, already thinking how someone had nothing better to do than to pull prank calls on him. But, when he heard Serenity's voice, he relaxed and greeted her happily.

His good mood vanished slowly when he heard how sad she sounded and when she told him on top of it all that she had to talk to him, his expression turned into a serious one. Glancing at his watch, he noticed that those two hours she had to spend with his brother were over, and the first thought that struck him was: Something's up.

"Okay, what did he do?" He asked her tiredly and sat on the floor in the middle of the lobby, not bothering to look for a chair to sit on. Books and lunch could wait until later, as well.

In the next few minutes, Serenity told him everything that happened between his brother and her, how he acted towards her, how he didn't seem happy at all, and in the end, how she hated to say it, but...

"I can't help you, Mokuba, I'm sorry, I..." she half-whispered and Mokuba's eyes fell down to stare at his reflection in the marble floor, "I can't keep my promise."

Silence followed after that in which both of them stared numbly at their feet, Serenity standing in her kitchen, facing the wall and Mokuba sitting in the middle of the mansion's lobby, glaring at the marble tiles. Serenity exhaled slowly and deeply, making it sound like someone blew into the phone on the other side.

When Mokuba made no sign of wanting to say anything, she sighed again and lowered her head in defeat.

"Mokuba?" She asked quietly, already afraid he had hung up, but the line was still whizzing softly although she couldn't hear a thing from him. After a few moments spent in staring at the floor firmly, Mokuba let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding all this time.

"It's okay," he replied stoically, which surprised her. Slowly and almost regretfully, he got up from the floor, wishing he could stay there forever, for some odd reason. He could hear her voice on the other side, apologetic and weak, but he realized after a while that she was right. What was the point of wasting his brother's precious time with inane things like making him realize how to get a life?

Mokuba's eyes flashed with hurt but he tried to smother it and control it. He just couldn't believe that all his efforts were in vain; nothing could be done anymore. Not even Serenity could make him smile or make him feel better.

"Mokuba?" She asked curiously after he hadn't said anything for a while. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he replied quickly, trying to mask his hurt with half-hearted reply, "don't you worry."

He could hear her sigh again and did his best not to run upstairs and hide inside his room. Something heavy settled in his throat, a lump he tried to swallow desperately, but he couldn't. His eyes narrowed in anger and helplessness, something intense clenching around his heart and he tried to smother it again before his eyes started shimmering slightly.

"Gotta go now, bye!" He said quickly and barely had the time to hear her say goodbye before he hung up hastily, threw the cell phone down to the floor and not bothering to pick up his books and his lunch, ran up the carpeted stairs and towards his room. The doors opened and closed with a loud thud, making one bypassing maid look at him worriedly. She shook her head dolefully; the boy was becoming bitter and resentful like his brother by every passing day. When she came down to the lobby, her face saddened even more; the boy didn't even bother to pick up his things from the floor...

Serenity put the phone handle back to its place and sighed heavily. She stared at the floor briefly and then raised her head to glance at her hand, still clutching the handle tightly.

She felt so confused right now; she was glad that it was over and she wouldn't have to meet the CEO anymore, but on the other hand, she felt guilty for making Mokuba sad. She really started to like the younger Kaiba sibling and now he was left on his own to deal with his brother. If there only was a way to make Seto Kaiba realize the really important things in his life...unfortunately, she thought bitterly, maybe he had already lost that.

When Kaiba entered the lobby of the mansion, everything seemed quiet. Usually, Mokuba would run to him by now, asking him how his day was and laugh at his tired face. The lights were on, illuminating the spacious lobby perfectly, but everything was just so...disturbingly quiet.

Kaiba let out a soft breath, heading for his study. The briefcase he was holding in his hand shone slightly under the lights of the giant chandelier. Opening the doors to his study, he turned the lights on and put the briefcase on the desk lightly. Immediately, he did what became his daily ritual after coming home – he turned his laptop on and the bluish light of the monitor flickered, greeting him happily.

He glanced at the maid who brought him dinner faintly then sat down behind the desk, fingers already on the briefcase, rummaging through the papers and eager to start typing.

He almost forgot about his plans that involved him, Mokuba and a serious conversation for a moment and managed to stop the maid before she walked away.

"Where is Mokuba?"

The maid stopped abruptly and turned around, clasping her hands in front of her calmly.

"I believe the young master is in his room," the maid replied gradually, waiting for his next move. Kaiba frowned; it wasn't like him to stay in his room for so long without coming downstairs to watch him working on his laptop. It was a habit of his, asking questions about Duel Monsters and observing his brother while he was making the newest versions of Duel Disk system until he'd become tired and fall asleep on the sofa.

"Get him," he replied in a demanding tone, his eyes glued to the screen, "I need to talk to him."

The maid nodded and bowed on her way out. "Right away, sir."

Kaiba spent the next few minutes typing on the laptop, various schemes and models appearing. He'd dismissed a few of his ideas already, not satisfied with the results. Now, he was about to add a few elements he thought would improve the new system when the doors opened and Mokuba stepped in. Kaiba barely registered his serious, almost grim expression, since he was still occupied with the laptop screen. He acknowledged his presence, however and started to speak.

"I need to talk to you, Mokuba."

The younger boy, whose hair was slightly tousled, showed no signs of changing his facial expression.

"So I've heard," he replied quietly, this time making Kaiba glance at him somewhat curiously. When he noticed how stern and intense his eyes and face looked like, he stopped typing for a moment to look at him thoroughly. Mokuba's head was slightly lowered, his eyes looking at him from beneath a pair of furrowed brows and a mop of dark hair. Kaiba blinked at him once, observing him with slight puzzlement. When Mokuba made no attempt to say anything else, Kaiba decided to put his odd behavior aside and concentrate on the real matter.

"Sit down," he said slowly, his eyes traveling between the laptop screen and his brother. Mokuba moved hesitantly, lazily walking towards the chair that was settled in front of the desk.

When he sat down, gazing at his older brother gravely, Kaiba diverted his eyes from the screen to look at him. He pressed a key and the schemes for the new Duel Disk system vanished, replaced by the clear, blue screen again.

He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk and supporting his chin on his intertwined fingers. Mokuba didn't glance away even for a second, his gaze was firmly fixated on his brother. He already had a few theories what the conversation could be about and realized he was right when Kaiba started talking.

"Mokuba," he said soberly, "this whole thing with you and Wheeler trying to cheer me up is really not worki-"

"Her name is Serenity," Mokuba cut in, interrupting him firmly. Kaiba raised one questioning eyebrow then closed his eyes.

"Whatever," he replied in the same tone, "the point is – it's completely ridiculous!"

Mokuba said nothing for a good few moments, making Kaiba look at him almost incredulously. After a brief pause, Mokuba lowered his head and crossed his hands.

"Why?" He asked, his voice now becoming cold and harsh like Kaiba's.

The CEO blinked again but quickly snapped out of his stupor. Still, he didn't understand what happened to his little brother. It was like aliens abducted him and placed another, faux Mokuba instead to sit there in front of him. But, he would say what he intended to say. This whole circus would have to stop, tonight.

"Because it's pointless and it's wasting my time, Mokuba," he replied, his voice rising just faintly. Mokuba raised his head again to look at him grimly. Just as he thought – everything that didn't involve beating Yuugi in a duel, everything that didn't revolve around Kaiba Corporation, business meetings, metallic briefcases and paperwork was pointless, useless and a complete waste of time to him. Figures...what else could he expect...

Mokuba's eyes narrowed slightly, making Kaiba's widen a bit. He had never seen Mokuba like this and it frightened him. Mokuba, however, already gave up on trying to convince him to see other things in life besides work. It was just like he stated – pointless, a waste of time. Kaiba, though, was one stubborn individual.

"And further more, I think you should concentrate more on learning how to lead business and stop wasting your time socializing with wimps and losers like that Wheel-"

"Her name is Serenity!"

Kaiba stared blankly at the standing and angry figure of his brother now. His whole body was tense and rigid, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. His eyes narrowed and flashed with such intensity that Kaiba had to stop in mid-sentence and gape at him.

"Mokuba..."

"No!" Echoed through the study room. Outside the room, maids stared at the door, their hands clasped over their lips. "No! No, and no!" Mokuba screamed in fury, eyes now filled with angry tears. Kaiba stared, perplexed and confused.

"Mokuba, what is goi-"

"Stop it! I don't want to hear it anymore!" The younger Kaiba screamed again, turning his head sideways, not being able to look at his own brother anymore. It was just too much...talking and discussing was one thing, but ordering and commanding him around what to do and with whom to hang out with...no, that was simply too much.

Kaiba was starting to feel annoyed and irritated by the whole thing. He tried to put some reasoning in his brother and he just flipped out. He would have to try to work this out in a more subtle way.

"Mokuba, please sit and calm down," he started but Mokuba only backed away from him further. Kaiba stood up now, on the verge of snapping at him. What got into that boy? He wasn't usually like this.

Mokuba glared at his brother, his whole body shaking.

"You tell me I have to learn how to manage businesses! Why?"

Kaiba took a deep breath, trying to calm down himself. "Because that will be necessary for you to know once you take over Kaiba Corporation!"

Just what he expected him to say...

"Wrong!" Mokuba retorted, making Kaiba gawk at him again. "Who said I even wanted to take over Kaiba Corporation? How do you know what I want?!" He yelled, his voice now shrill with anger and excitement. Kaiba's eyebrows furrowed in anger and confusion.

"You always want to control everything! I can't take this anymore!" He ventured, all the pent up anger and fury now practically flowing out of him. "You can't tell me what to do and with whom to socialize!"

Kaiba was speechless now, not being able to do anything other than to stare at his little brother who used to admire him so much. He just didn't understand. Who else could take over Kaiba Corporation once he's retired and not able to work anymore? Someone like Pegasus or the Big Five? That was something he didn't even want to dream about!

"Mokuba, be quiet!" He finally snapped, making the younger one stop and breathe heavily in front of him, his whole demeanor still taut and tense. A few tears escaped his violet eyes from all the anger and despair he vented out during his yelling.

"Now, sit down and listen to me!" Kaiba yelled as well, for the first time angry with him and ready to punish him if he went too far. Mokuba thought otherwise.

"You can't make me!" He retorted angrily, backing away again towards the doors. "And you won't order me around! Not when you don't even care!"

"What?" It was Kaiba's turn to yell at him now, his face turning slightly red. Mokuba's eyes flashed again. Like he didn't know!

"That's right! You don't care!" Mokuba screamed back, leaning forward a bit to try and emphasize his words. "All you ever think about is your precious company and those stupid papers and business meetings! You don't even care how I feel anymore! Can't you see what I'm trying to do?" He asked him and Kaiba stared at him, angry but curious at the same time. "I'm trying to turn you into the person you were before! But I've realized it's too late! You'll never be the Seto I knew, the Seto who smiled and laughed before! You just don't care!"

Kaiba lowered his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. This was getting nowhere...

"Mokuba, you know very well I care about you more than anything in this world," he said slowly, again trying to compose himself. Mokuba snorted angrily.

"Yeah, I can see that all right!"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed again. "What's that suppose to mean?"

Mokuba took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "I wanted to drag you out of that office and make you see that there are other things out there besides that! But you didn't even try, Seto! You just don't care if I'm happy or not!"

Kaiba's blood started to boil now. He couldn't believe this. "What are you saying? You've got everything every kid could wish for!" He yelled at him again, forgetting all about concentration and composure. Mokuba's lips parted and he gritted his teeth, choking on a sob. No use...he thought, it was just no use. Tears rolled down his cheeks slowly while his head was lowered. He clenched his fists again, not being able to convince him for the last time how wrong he was...he wanted to escape; he wanted to run away from him. As if on cue, his instincts and impulses took over and he raised his head suddenly, wide eyes watching the blurry image of his brother leaning on the desk and staring at him intently.

"I don't want those things! I want YOU!"

And with that, he stormed out of the room and down the lobby; ignoring the shocked looks the maids gave him. He didn't care where he was going; he had to get away from here as fast as possible. Spotting the double doors of the mansion, he almost bumped into them but managed to open then with such force he made them slam against the wall. He could hear the maids yell after him but he didn't care. All he cared for right now was to run.

The sound of his footsteps became lighter and softer when he started running across the green garden and then disappeared completely into the warm, summer night.

Kaiba was still leaned on the desk in his study, staring blankly ahead, where Mokuba was just a few minutes ago. Now, all he could see were the doors, still swaying slightly from the force they were opened with. He stood like that for a few more seconds then sat down limply on the chair that squeaked slightly from the pressure. One of the maids came to the room to inform him that young master went out into the night all by himself but he didn't let her speak.

"Leave!" He ordered and the maid was cut off before she tried to explain to him that Mokuba went outside, not to his room, but when Kaiba roared at her to get lost, she let out one startled yelp and quickly ran out of the room, crying on her way out.

Kaiba was left in the study, with only the lights on and his laptop, whizzing softly and illuminating his expressionless face.

He didn't see his brother run out of the mansion; he thought he went to his room, and therefore, decided to leave him until he cooled down a bit. He would talk to him in the morning. Little did he know, that Mokuba was currently running down the streets of Domino city...


	8. In a daze

**A/N Hey everyone. I know I haven't uploaded any chapters recently, but I can assure you I didn't forget this fic. In fact, the reason is that I'm currently working on my very own chapter for it! You can expect at least 10k words from it because I have some really nice ideas. Just figured I should give you some feedback since I was inactive for some time.**

 **Disclaimer: Uga uga buga buga**

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Cheer up, Mr. Kaiba!

Chapter VIII: In a daze

The night was becoming slightly chilly, the only sound coming from the cars, bustling slightly in the distance. The sky was a clear shade of dark blue, filled with numerous stars. Streetlamps attracted bugs and butterflies to them like magnets. A soft breeze blew by and rustled Mokuba's hair slightly. Dark bangs swayed over sad, tear stricken eyes as he was walking down the street.

He stopped running somewhere on the way when he felt his insides hurt and his lungs burn. When he took a little break, he found himself in a more suburban area of Domino City. Looking around, he stopped dead in his tracks and realized that he was a few kilometers away from his home. He blinked a few times then stared blankly at the empty streets. Glancing at his watch, he saw it was near midnight and his eyes widened drastically when he noticed how late it was and that he was alone in the middle of the street and in the middle of the night. A sudden rush of anxiety and fear rushed through him and he gulped, turning around carefully to see that he was indeed alone. He sighed in relief but only for a moment. Turning back to look ahead, he saw houses on each side of the street and he wished he could grab his cell phone and call the driver to take him back home, but...

After the fight he had with his brother, right now he just didn't want to go back there.

Still standing in the middle of the street and staring numbly at his feet, he started thinking. Where could he go? The first thought that came to his mind was to go to Serenity's place. The thing was he didn't know where she lived. He had a vague idea where Joey might live, but if his memory wasn't fooling him, that was almost on the other side of the city.

"Great," he muttered, still exasperated. He suddenly became aware of his tiredness and wished he could just lie down on his bed and fall asleep. "Yeah, right," he ventured snappishly, "that's out of the question now. Great, just great."

After spending a few minutes in silence, pondering and thinking madly about his options, he remembered one person who lived in the near and started running again, hoping it wasn't to late to ring at the door and ask for help. After all, he'd done it before; he might as well try and do it again.

Hearing a doorbell ringing mercilessly, a dark figure walked down the stairs, yawning constantly and trying not to stumble too much. When he finally approached the front door and almost cringed at the loud, ringing sound of the bell, he turned the key in the lock and opened the doors lazily.

A disheveled looking Mokuba waved his hand sheepishly and smiled uneasily.

"Hi! What took you so long?"

A pair of violet eyes blinked groggily at the younger Kaiba then widened slightly in puzzlement. Yuugi Mutou stared blankly at the smaller boy, slightly confused and still trying to figure out if he was still dreaming. After Mokuba raised one questioning eyebrow at him, seeing him in his pajamas, Yuugi blushed slightly and scratched his head in embarrassment. After all, he was just about to go to sleep; he couldn't sleep in his school uniform.

"Mokuba?" He asked slowly, leaning a bit backwards and pinching himself. When he let out a soft 'ow', and was assured he wasn't dreaming, he leaned forward to look at him again. "What are you doing here? Wha-" there he yawned again, "whaa-what is going on?"

A sheepish look vanished slowly from Mokuba's face and was quickly replaced by a solemn one. Yuugi stopped in a mid-yawn, and looked at him thoroughly now. His hair was tousled and he looked like he was slightly out of breath.

"Mokuba? Are you all right?" Yuugi asked him worriedly, forgetting for a moment all about sleep. When Mokuba lowered his head and took a deep, shaky breath, Yuugi frowned in concern. The younger Kaiba shook his head slowly and refused to look up.

"Can I...Can I come in?" He asked quietly, almost humbly and Yuugi stared at him for a brief moment before he stepped aside and let him enter the house.

"Sure, come in," he replied and closed the doors behind him. He turned the lights on and led him to the living room, the same room where they all gathered once before to discuss the matter concerning the Big Five and help Mokuba save his brother from the virtual world.

The dark haired boy sat limply on the sofa, while Yuugi went to the kitchen to make something for him. After a few minutes spent in silence, he sat next to him and put a mug of hot cocoa on the small table in front of them. Silence that now became awkward stretched on until Yuugi spotted his grandpa, peeping from the stairs curiously. Yuugi shook his head, almost unnoticeably. His grandpa nodded knowingly and went upstairs, deciding to leave them alone. Yuugi redirected his gaze at the stiff figure of Mokuba Kaiba and sighed heavily.

"Mokuba...what happened? What were you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Mokuba was quiet for a few seconds before he raised his head and reached for the mug, tentatively clasping his fingers around the warm thing and staring numbly at his own reflection, shimmering on the dark surface.

"I was running," he answered simply and shrugged. Once he thought about it, he thought it would be easy to tell someone about what happened between his brother and him, but now...one, heavy lump in his throat was somehow stopping him from telling everything to the boy next to him. He felt like someone spread coagulated spider webs inside his throat; words simply didn't want to come out. Yuugi was slightly baffled now.

"Running? From whom?" He asked, perplexed, and already thinking how Mokuba had perhaps, been attacked by someone.

Mokuba let out a shaky breath, still staring at the mug helplessly and feeling incredibly lost. When he took a sip and tried to swallow the liquid down, it felt like the cocoa got stuck in his throat as well. He put the mug back onto the table slowly and leaned back again. Yuugi watched, wordlessly, trying to figure out what happened to the boy that made him so nervous and withdrawn all of a sudden.

"I..." He started quietly, swallowing hard. When he looked up and saw the worried look Yuugi gave him, his eyes filled with tears again and he clenched his fists, anger and despair mixing in one, confusing and overwhelming emotion. Something broke suddenly in him and in a minute, he told him everything that happened; he told him about the fight they had, how his brother reacted and, there Yuugi's eyes widened even further, how not even Serenity couldn't help him and how he couldn't take it anymore, so in the end...

"I ran." He finished after a good minute of yelling angrily, venting his frustrations out and spilling everything to Yuugi who was now staring at him, with eyes wide and mouth agape. He was speechless and completely taken aback. He knew Kaiba pretty well already, but...to act like that to his own brother, was just...

"Unbelievable," he breathed and Mokuba agreed by nodding his head slightly after he managed to cool down a bit.

"I didn't know where else to go, so...I came here," he said quietly, his voice now cracking a bit. He looked at Yuugi who gave him one incredulous look when he saw how pleading his eyes became. "Can I stay here for the night? Or...for a couple of days, or...Please, Yuugi?"

The spiky-haired boy stared at him for a bit, then averted his gaze to look at the table in front of him. The cocoa was getting cold. Yuugi was thinking, already considering the thought to let him stay, but then one, different voice that belonged to the ancient Pharaoh spoke and broke his train of thoughts.

"Do you think that's wise, Yuugi?" The spirit of the Millennium Puzzle asked soberly, making Yuugi think again about his actions. "Perhaps, Kaiba should know about his whereabouts; after all, he is his little brother, regardless of what he says or thinks."

Yuugi was observing the table intently, trying to make the right decision. He knew the spirit was right in a way they were brothers and Kaiba had the right to know where his brother was, but when he raised his head to say that out loud to Mokuba, he stopped when he saw how desperate the boy looked like. His words got stuck in his throat now, as he was watching him helplessly and at a loss of what to do.

"Mokuba, I..."

"Please, Yuugi! Just for a day or two! Until the situation cools down a bit! Please?" Mokuba insisted, violet eyes pleading him and begging him to let him stay. Yuugi felt like someone crucified him and left him to hang like that. He could bear harsh words and insults, but not such looks and pleas. He sighed heavily and nodded, indicating that he would let him stay. Mokuba's eyes brightened immediately and he smiled at him happily, resisting the urge to hug the older boy.

"But only until things cool down," Yuugi added sternly, "I don't want Kaiba to accuse me of kidnapping you in the end."

Mokuba nodded in agreement and sank lower in the sofa, a content smile plastered on his face. It felt good to have such good friends; he wished Seto could be so generous and forgiving like Yuugi was. His face saddened for a moment, before Yuugi snapped him out of his daze by telling him to get up and go to sleep.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot how tired I was, sorry..." He retorted sheepishly and stood up. Yuugi offered him his room to sleep in, on which he declined, saying he was perfectly content to sleep on the sofa. After a short argument, Mokuba gave in and they both headed to Yuugi's room. Yuugi grabbed the mug on the way upstairs, in case Mokuba wanted to take another sip. Mokuba almost flipped out when Yuugi managed to find a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants he used to wear when he was younger. The pants, as well as the t-shirt had blue bunnies all over them and Mokuba absolutely refused to sleep in something like that.

"It's the only thing that fits you!" Yuugi commented when Mokuba agreed to put them on with a heavy frown on his face.

"Now hand me a stuffed bunny and the picture is perfect." He mumbled on which Yuugi sweatdropped. After all the chaos and mess they made in the room, trying to find something that would fit Mokuba, the younger Kaiba sighed heavily and sat down on the bed slowly. It wasn't so comfortable and cozy like the one at home, but he already knew he shouldn't complain at all. Yuugi watched him somewhat oddly from across the room, still not believing that it was Mokuba who was sitting on his bed after he ran away from home and had a fight with his own brother...and he still remembered something about Serenity as well...did Joey know about it? Probably not, he told himself, otherwise he'd already flip out and forbid Serenity to have any further contact with the Kaiba brothers. He knew Joey actually liked Mokuba, but Seto Kaiba was another story.

"Hey, Yuugi?" Mokuba said suddenly and made him jerk out of his stupor. Yuugi looked at him questioningly and saw the way he smiled softly at him.

"Yeah?" He asked, slightly puzzled. Mokuba lowered his gaze to look at the mug, still resting firmly in his hands. Yuugi saw what he was looking at and let out a surprised 'oh'.

"You're gonna drink that?" Mokuba asked, eyeing the mug thoughtfully and Yuugi quickly shook his head. He approached his night table and placed the mug carefully down.

"Here, it's yours," he replied with a smile and Mokuba smiled at his gesture, suddenly wishing he didn't have to go. When Yuugi wished him good night and was already at the door, Mokuba suddenly raised his head again.

"Hey, Yuugi?"

Yuugi turned around and looked at him curiously, holding the doorknob with one hand and already on his way out. Mokuba stared at him for a moment before he nodded gratefully. "Thanks."

Yuugi smiled at him reassuringly one last time then turned the lights off and stepped outside, closing the doors behind him softly, and leaving him to stare out the window solemnly. His grandpa almost gave him a heart attack when he suddenly appeared, looming in the darkness of the corridor.

"How is the boy?" He whispered almost conspiratorially and Yuugi sighed heavily.

"I think he's afraid," Yuugi replied sadly, wishing he could do more for him. His grandpa sighed as well, and muttering something incoherent to his grandson went back to his room. Yuugi headed downstairs, careful not to make too much noise on the way and turned the lights in the living room off before he plopped down on the sofa and finally closed his eyes. He snatched the blanket, hanging loosely on the sofa and covered himself, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep already. He, too, hadn't realized how tired he was until now. Just when he was about to doze off, Yami suddenly appeared at his side, gazing at him with a worried expression.

"Do you think that was the smart thing to do?" He asked and Yuugi opened a pair of weary eyes again. He craned his neck a bit to look at the ancient spirit then let out a sigh and closed his eyes again.

"I don't know Yami," he said, his voice barely audible, "All I know is that I want to get some sleep now." He added and his voice drifted off with that. Yami watched in wonder how his hikari fell asleep just like that then smiled softly at his antics.

All right then," he said, still smiling, "we will talk about it in the morning."

When the first rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon and managed to squeeze through the curtains in the study room, Seto Kaiba was already up, sorting the papers on the desk and folding them neatly in his briefcase. All the modifications he planned to enter in the new system were supposed to be finished yesterday, but due to the fight he had with Mokuba, the plans were pushed aside. He didn't bother much, though; he'd finish them in his office. A soft knock on the door and the maid that informed him that breakfast was waiting for him snapped him out of his daze a bit and he closed the briefcase brusquely, taking it with him out of the study room.

His hair was neatly combed, but his eyes were once again tired, weary and giving away a sleepless night he had. Mokuba was the main reason that managed to keep him awake for the great part of the night, as he was tossing and turning in his bed constantly, the image of his brother's angry face and shrill voice not letting him sleep properly. He had never seen Mokuba like that...it was not right from him to yell at him like that. After all, all he ever did, was for the sake of enabling him a better future, to try and erase those bad memories from the orphanage and to make him forget his bitter childhood. Suddenly, a little, thin voice appeared in his head, and Kaiba stopped in mid-step, standing now in the middle of the lobby.

But what about your childhood?  
He dismissed the thought just as quickly as it came and headed to the dining room. He wondered if Mokuba had managed to cool down from the yesterday's clash they had. As if on cue, a sudden urge to go and see his little brother swept through him and he stopped again, now almost near the corridor that led to the dining room. He half-turned around and observed the stairs that were situated in the end of the lobby, leading to the upper floors. He took a step forward then stopped again; Mokuba would be all right, he had better things to do right now, more important things regarding the Kaiba Corporation. He took a step back and headed down the corridor. At the end, the dining room was already ready for him; breakfast waiting for him on the long, wooden table. Maids were standing by the wall of the room, exchanging nervous glances and fidgeting every now and then.

When Kaiba sat down and started eating, he ignored their fidgeting for a while until it started to annoy him and he stopped eating, raising his head to glare at them in irritation.

The maids flinched visibly and Kaiba raised an eyebrow at them.

"What is it?" He asked coldly, observing them with a mixture of annoyance and irritation. One of them maids gasped slightly then looked at the other one who lowered her head humbly. The first one looked at him then at the floor, trying to avoid eye contact with the CEO. It was never a very pleasant thing.

"We-we were wondering if you know where master M-Mokuba is," she let out, stuttering a few times. Kaiba looked at her blankly, finding her question highly stupid. It was also their job to look after everything and everyone in the mansion. Still, he glanced back and forth between the two and frowned.

"I assume he is in his room," he replied stoically, "and it's your job to know that, isn't it?" He added, making the maid's eyes widen. The other one glanced at her friend then at the CEO and finally spoke.

"No, you see..." she started, quickly glancing at her shoes when Kaiba looked at her, "the young master i-isn't in his room." She finished quietly and clasped her hands in front of her meekly. Kaiba's frown deepened.

"Well where is he then?"

The maids flinched again at the sound of his voice and already considered the thought to simply run away from the dining room. The first one, looking nervously at the other one who gave her the same, frightened look back, gulped and lowered her head, gritting her teeth.

"He disappeared."

Silence followed after that in which the maids trembled lightly and the CEO of Kaiba Corporation stared at them in confusion and puzzlement, frowning heavily.

"What do you mean he disappeared? Where is he?" He asked them, raising his voice a bit and the other maid took a deep breath, already on the verge of crying. The first one raised her hand to try and stop her from doing that but the maid shook her head and ran out of the room, sobbing on her way out. Kaiba gaped at her then stood up from the table, resting his hands on the wooden surface firmly.

"What is going on here? Where is Mokuba?" He demanded in a harsh voice and the maid bowed a few times in front of him, not knowing herself where the boy was. "Tell me!" Kaiba yelled hoarsely and the maid balked away in fear slightly. Her voice trembled at first a bit but then within a minute, Kaiba found out everything. The maid stopped in mid-sentence when he suddenly approached her and grabbed her by the shoulder, furious and agitated.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked her and applied such pressure on her shoulders that she cringed.

"Y-you d-didn't let me! You t-told me t-to get out!" She replied quickly, shying away from him threatening figure as much as she could. Being way much higher than she was and towering above her made him look very intimidating. His eyes were a deep shade of blue now, wide and fixated firmly on the poor girl. He could feel his fingers and his hands shake slightly, making her shudder in fear. The CEO lowered his head a bit and let go of her, making her fall to the floor lifelessly.

"I-I'm terribly sor-"

"Leave!" He barked at her and she let out a startled gasp before she ran away from the dining room, crying now, too. If she was right in her assumptions, she just managed to avoid certain death. Kaiba was left to stand in the middle of the dining room, staring numbly at the floor. How could that happen? Was it his fault? Mokuba ran away...he ran away, and he...

"Damn it!" He roared and banged his fist against the wall angrily. The pulsating pain in his knuckles didn't help him feel better and he let out a growl, turning around. He sat on the chair again limply, hiding his eyes behind his, now red and slightly swollen hand. What could he do now? Call the police? Search on his own? God knows where Mokuba ended! For all he knew, he could've taken his blimp and fly away with it. He knew how to pilot the thing; he knew how the computers worked...

"Mokuba," he whispered dejectedly, his voice now calm and collected again. He flew his hand through his bangs, revealing his eyes that were now staring at his knees, filled with remorse and worry. Where could he be, and where to start searching? He didn't know, and for the first time in his life, he felt truly helpless and useless. He knew how to run the business and lead a successful company, he knew how to make and use new technologies; he knew almost everything except looking after his own brother. What a great big brother he was, indeed...And Mokuba was the only one who could actually make him smile, just a bit, who could make him feel better and cheer him up and...

Kaiba suddenly raised his head, his eyes widening in acknowledge. He stood up quickly, grabbed his briefcase and scurried out of the dining room. His swift footsteps echoed briefly through the silent lobby before he opened the doors to his study again and putting the briefcase down firmly, grabbed the telephone handle.

The secretary on the top floor of Kaiba Corporation jerked slightly in fright, not expecting phone calls so early in the morning. When she heard the resolute voice of her boss on the other side, she immediately straightened up and listened carefully. She wrote down everything he said and nodded in understanding. After she hung up, she quickly dialed another number and waited patiently.

Kaiba was seated in the back of his limo, tapping his foot impatiently and glaring outside the window. If he was right, and he hoped he was, he knew where Mokuba could've gone. His cell phone rang soon after that and he answered it after the first ring.

"Kaiba," he said coolly and after the secretary informed him of what he wanted to know, he nodded and hung up. He told the driver where to go and typed a few numbers again, waiting for someone to answer the phone.

Serenity was just in the middle of making a breakfast for her mother and herself when the telephone rang. She blinked in confusion, wondering who could call her so early in the morning. She put the milk on the stove to heat it up and went to answer the phone, wiping her hands before that.

"Hallo? Serenity speaking," she said politely and almost cringed when she heard the demanding voice of Seto Kaiba on the other line. Taken aback, she stared at the wall in the kitchen then blinked again.

"Where is Mokuba?" She repeated, confusion written all over her face.

"Yes! Where is he?" The CEO asked again and Serenity gaped at the phone handle, baffled for a moment. She looked at her mother who just entered the kitchen blankly then waved goodbye at her when her mother smiled, before grabbing the toast of the kitchen table and disappearing into the hall.

"Well," she replied, still confused and puzzled, "I don't know. What happened?" She added, now becoming worried. It wasn't every day that Seto Kaiba called her at home and asked for his brother.

Kaiba cursed under his breath, realizing that perhaps, he was wrong in his assumptions. "Are you telling me that he's not with you?" He asked her, panic starting to take a hold of him now. Serenity frowned in concern and bit her lower lip. Something must've happened.

"No," she replied firmly, "he's not here."

Kaiba muttered something again Serenity wished she didn't hear and then almost shrieked when she saw the milk spilled all over the stove now. She hung up quickly; forgetting for a moment all about Kaiba and her worries and ran to the stove to turn it off. Needless to say, the pot was smeared with milk and the stove surface as well. She let out an exasperated sound and started fidgeting with her hands.

"Oh, no!" She exclaimed and went in a search of something to wipe the mess with. Kaiba, on the other hand stared at the cell phone wordlessly the glared at the driver who shifted uneasily when his boss caught him grinning.

"Take me there," he commanded instead and the driver nodded this time, his face completely serious. Kaiba seethed angrily on the back seat, not believing that she dared to hang up on him just like that. When the limo finally stopped, he stepped out quickly and observed the modest looking house for a moment before he strolled defiantly down the path that lead to the front doors of the house. He pushed the little button on the side almost violently and the doorbell rang from the inside. He could hear a faint noise coming from the inside then one loud 'Coming!' before the doors finally opened.

Serenity was in the middle of wiping the milk off the stove when the doorbell rang. She tried to bring the kitchen back in order as fast as she could then hurried off to open the doors. This morning was getting weirder and weirder. She wasn't quite prepared for Seto Kaiba, standing neatly in front of her, with his hands crossed and glaring at her furiously. Serenity's voice got stuck in her throat as she could only stare at the CEO blankly.

"You hung up," he said brusquely and her eyes widened when she realized what she had done. She gasped then quickly muttered an apology. The CEO only snorted indignantly then got back to glaring.

"You say Mokuba isn't here," he started and Serenity blinked, now remembering the conversation they had over the phone. Her facial expression changed from surprised to a worried one and she looked at him questioningly.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to Mokuba?" She asked apprehensively on which the CEO looked at her with a frown.

"He disappeared last night," he replied quietly and looked away. Serenity stared at him in confusion then, suddenly realizing they were still standing at her front door, invited him to come in. He looked at her with surprise for a moment before he walked in, almost resentfully. Serenity led him to the little living room, shared with kitchen on the other side of the room and offered him to sit down. Reluctantly, he sat down on the couch and looked around. Serenity stood in front of him, not knowing what else to offer him. Her house wasn't like his mansion, after all.

"Can I get you something?" She asked and he shook his head curtly. After that, she sat down on the couch and clasped her hands on her knees.

"So, what happened to Mokuba? How could he just vanish?" She asked and he closed his eyes briefly. He took a deep breath, crossing his hands dejectedly.

"We...There was a misunderstanding between us," he started and Serenity listened carefully. After she heard his story she put her hand over her mouth, gawking at the carpet under her feet with wide eyes. She couldn't believe Mokuba could do such a thing. She knew he was spirited and stubborn sometimes, but to run away from home just like that...she looked up to see Kaiba staring at his crossed hands mutely and her face softened for a moment.

"You though he came here?" She asked quietly and he looked at her, something similar to despair evident in his eyes. He nodded tersely and she lowered her head again.

"I thought he came here since you two seemed to be...close," he said the last word with a note of bitterness in his voice. Serenity didn't look up for a long time and silence took over, the only sound being the one of an old clock on the wall, making a clicking noise every time the bat swung.

"What are we going to do now?" Serenity asked finally and made him look up at her again. Blue eyes observed the hazel ones, trying not to show how much fear and anxiety there was in them, but, Serenity noticed and her features softened again. Kaiba raised an eyebrow at her statement.

"We?" He asked her, looking at her with piercing eyes now. She stirred a bit and shifted due to that look he gave her but she was determined to find Mokuba and help him, regardless if he wanted it or not.

"I care about Mokuba just as you do," she said determinedly, her expression changing into a resolute one once again. "And I will help you, whether you like it or not."

Kaiba gaped at her for a second then smirked bitterly, getting up from the couch. He headed towards the doors and left a blinking Serenity behind.

"Suit yourself," he replied indifferently this time and she shook her head dismally. When would he learn that asking for help is not necessarily a weakness?

She stood up as well, and went to put her shoes on while Kaiba was already on his way to the limo. Serenity quickly scribbled a note for her mother and left it on the fridge. She sighed and quickly rushed out of the house, closing the doors and locking them behind her. She stared in awe at the limo, parked in front of her house. Walking hastily towards the black car, she noticed curtains swaying on the windows of the other houses that were situated next to hers. She was sure the neighbors would have a lot to discuss about. She dismissed that thought when the driver ushered her into the limo and she took a seat across the CEO. She stared at the amount of technology around her and at the spacious limo before they took off.

Kaiba was typing something on his laptop, simultaneously talking to his secretary over the cell phone.

"Cancel all meetings for today, I've got other things on my mind right now," he said and broke the line. He turned the laptop off; the modifications and the newest Duel Disk System would have to wait for another day. Right now, all he wanted to do was to find his missing brother. He knew he was intelligent enough to manage on his own, but still...he needed him at home, not somewhere else, god knows where.

When he turned to look at the girl across him who was still gaping in awe all around her, being in the limo for the first time, he narrowed his eyes and let out a breath.

"What are your plans?" He asked her and she snapped out of her daze. She looked at him, confused for a moment.

"Plans?" She asked him, not comprehending what he meant. Kaiba glanced out the window and crossed his hands firmly over his chest.

"How do you plan on finding Mokuba?" He asked and left her speechless. She stared at him, at a loss of words. Indeed, how was she supposed to know where to find him? "You said you'd help, so let's see you now." Kaiba added in an almost challenging voice and Serenity's face became serious.

"I know, I will." She replied sternly and glanced out the window, too.

The question was how was she supposed to find him? He could be anywhere, and Domino City was a bad place to get lost in.


End file.
